Son of the Sea: Rise of Time
by SharkAttack719
Summary: As a six-year-old boy, Percy Jackson finds himself orphaned after his mother is killed by a mysterious man, and is thrust into the world of Greek mythology. After years, Percy's path turns dark. He puts his old life behind him and tries to begin anew, rebuilding Western Civilization in the image he dreams of. The only problem: he won't turn on the camp. Then the betrayals begin.
1. Loss

**Chapter 1**

It was a starry night in New York. Well, as starry as New York could get. The lights of the bustling island of Manhattan were a little too bright for her liking. Just a little bit.

She remembered a last vacation to Montauk when her son, Percy, was around three years old. Sally Jackson loved her son dearly and would do anything to protect him from his fate. A fate he had no clue about. Because six-year-old boys tended not to think about much more than video games, toys and technology.

But the one thing Percy loved more than anything else was water. Ever since she took him to Central Park as a baby, he had always been drawn to the waterfalls in the North Woods. He reminded her so much of his father: his lively, playful green eyes; his dark hair and the rebellious look he always gave her when she told him to do something he didn't want to do. His father would have been proud of him, and he probably still was.

As they took a night walk, Sally looked up toward the Empire State Building. Behind it stood two taller towers: the World Trade Center. She couldn't quite understand why they chose the Empire State Building. Perhaps it was because it was older. And before it was built, where were they?

But all she was was a mortal. Despite how "clear-sighted" she was, she would never have godly blood in her system. That curse fell upon her son.

Percy pulled at his mother's hand and said, "Mom! Come on, hurry up!"

Sally crouched and looked her son in the eyes. "Where do you want to go?"

"The Ramble!" exclaimed the excited, young boy.

She smiled. "Okay, but are you sure you want to go?" she joked. "There are dark, scary monsters that might attack us in the night."

"I'm not afraid of monsters." Percy puffed up his chest. "I'm big and strong. I will protect you, Mama."

That was also one of the things she endeared most about her son. No matter what the situation was, he was never embarrassed to be her little baby. Even if he said so, he would act differently. She couldn't describe how much she loved him. As if she hadn't said that enough times…

They reached the Ramble, and locals and tourists dotted the attraction. Since it was nighttime, the amount of people present was scarce, but during the day, this was a popular place to wander. The Ramble was thirty-eight acres of pure beauty, especially in the center of an urban city like New York. It consisted of a labyrinth of walking paths winding through the trees, but the place was so beautiful, it didn't even matter that the paths were constantly twisting and turning. In the night, it was harder to see, but the illuminating lights of New York were enough to keep most things visible.

Even though at times her son was not the brightest child, he was smart and perceptive. She could tell he noticed things.

And between who he was and his intelligence, she often told him the stories of Greek myths. Most kids learned about Rapunzel or Robin Hood or The Three Little Pigs (from what she could gather with other mothers), but Percy learned about Jason and the Argonauts, Perseus and Medusa, Theseus and the Minotaur, and other myths like that. The only dark part was that most Greek myths ended in tragedy, much like Shakespeare's plays.

Percy's ADHD kept him jumping around, or fidgeting in his seat as she told the stories, but his attention was fixed on her. Despite his restlessness, she knew he was listening with every fiber of his being. Normally, a mother would be worried about their child shouting about beheading monsters while they slept, but Sally had seen worse things.

In preschool, a teacher had accidentally put him down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. She had screamed when she came to pick him up and found him playing with a limp, scaly rope that he'd managed to strangle to death with his meaty toddler hands. Even before that, when he was three, there had been an intruder in the house. It was a monster of some sort; she'd never figured out what it was. But Percy had somehow used a Celestial bronze knife she kept for safety to kill it. It was hard to explain to Gabe how a knife in a pile of sand ended up in the hallway.

Sally closed her eyes. Gabe Ugliano.

Gabe Ugliano was the one man that could protect Percy all on his own. She knew he was repulsive. She knew he was disgusting. She knew he was dirty and smelly and a whole bunch of other horrible things. But that's what made him useful. He was so terribly human that it could mask Percy's demigod smell. No demigod that was as powerful as him could last that long without monsters attacking.

And she had kicked him out. She wasn't sure why she did it. Maybe it was impulse. Or perhaps it was because she found Percy with a black eye one day after work when he had stayed home all day. All Gabe did was sit on his butt all day long and play poker with his friends. And maybe she'd had a dream. Something was going to happen. She…she had a bad feeling.

She knew she could have had an easier life. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

She had been offered so much: an underwater palace…a queen. But she couldn't accept. She knew she had to earn her way through life. It wasn't about accepting miraculous gifts from "rich" men. She wanted to know she had lived life by her own account. She wouldn't rely on anybody to help her live her life. She had to find the courage on her own.

Percy didn't understand yet. The abuse…the anger. If the proud and arrogant heroes in Greek myths had tragic endings, perhaps the humble and selfless people in the world had happy endings. Still, this was all because she could see through the Mist, a magical veil that obscured regular mortals from seeing the truth. But she wouldn't trade her life for an easier one. Not in a million years.

She had to appreciate what she had and take it as a blessing. Poseidon had promised her Percy would be a hero to come. No matter what he did, she would be proud of him. She would love him until her last breath.

Percy was a lot more relaxed. Life was great. Smelly Gabe was gone, and his mother was bringing him on a night walk through Central Park. He loved Central Park almost as much as he loved Montauk. Pretending he had a sword, he walked in front of his mother checking for any bad guys.

Grinning, he turned back to his mother, who had a thoughtful expression on. "Mommy! There's no bad guys. See. They're all scared of me. _Rawr!_"

His mother chuckled.

He'd recently been expelled for making the water fountain explode at his elementary school. He didn't remember doing anything to make it explode, but the blame always went to him. Only his mom understood that it wasn't his fault. He didn't mean to make the fountain explode.

The snake was pretty awesome too. It wasn't every day that someone could say they strangled a snake. He did. Just like Hercules.

Percy loved Greek myths. Especially Perseus' because he was named after the son of Zeus. He slew Medusa, a gorgon (he didn't know what that meant) that could turn anyone to stone she locked eyes with, while she was sleeping before saving Andromeda, a woman, from a sea serpent named Ketos and marrying her. They had a happy ending. One of the only happy endings in Greek mythology.

Percy felt sad about all the deaths, but at the same time he thought it was just like life. Not everybody had happy endings. He knew his mom's parents died when she was young. He knew his mom had lots of troubles in her life. And that's why he liked them so much.

Hercules was, without a doubt, the most interesting hero to him. Hercules was strong, brave, and did the Twelve Labours. His mom told him labours meant work. He killed the Nemean Lion and the Hydra and did so many other crazy and amazing things.

But at the same time, his mom told him he could only do those things because he was very, very lucky. And maybe that was what being a hero was: getting lucky. It was hard to think about because he didn't understand much of the deeper meanings of the myths.

His mom told him he was smart for his age, which just made him feel better about himself. Anything his mother said about him was a compliment. The bullies at school were wrong. He wasn't dumb. He wasn't stupid.

Percy went silent as they continued along the path. In the distance, he could hear the roar of traffic, but in the Ramble it sounded like it was very far away. The concrete made little noise under his footsteps, so it was easy to hear a lot.

If he listened closely enough, he could hear animals. There weren't that many of them so the forest wasn't full of life, but there were enough to hear every once in a while.

Looking up, he could see stars in the sky. There were only a few, though. He wondered why people ever connected stars together to make pictures… his mom called them constellations. He couldn't see any of them though. It was a little sad.

The further they got into the Ramble, the more uncertain Percy became. He still exclaimed to his mother that there were no bad monsters, but there was a tingling feeling on the back of his neck. It was a cold feeling, and he shivered.

"Percy, are you all right?" his mom asked. There was a different…feeling in her voice. He could sense it.

"Yes, Mom," he lied.

He thought he heard a tree branch snap, but when he listened, he heard nothing. When he listened, he didn't realize that he'd stopped in the middle of the path. His mom's eyes flickered back and forth worriedly. She put a protective arm around his shoulders, and he couldn't help but sink into the hug.

"Come, Percy," she said urgently. "We should head back home."

The cold feeling died down, and Percy relaxed a little. As a six-year-old boy, the curiosity got the better of him. Peeking into the forest he caught a glimpse of a shadow that looked like a human. But it was gone before he could tell who it was. He made a stupid decision. He chased after the shadow.

"Percy!" his mom cried. "Percy, come back here now!"

Percy was gone before she could pull him back. He burst into the underbrush and ran toward where he saw the shadow stand. The dirt made muffled sounds as he ran, and tree branches snapped all around him. Sally could easily hear were her son was headed. He sounded as stealthy as a buffalo trampling through a forest.

He crashed through the trees until he found a small clearing where he thought he saw the shadow. But when he looked around, nothing was there. All he could hear was his mother running after him. Despite his clumsiness, he was quick for a little kid. He'd always been faster than all of his other friends and bullies.

Percy crept around behind a tree when there was a sudden _snap_ behind him. He pressed his back against the tree and crouched down. His mom seemed to have heard it as well. Her stomping suddenly stopped, and for a second, Percy could hear the traffic in the distance again.

He slowly slid down more until he was on his back. Rolling over, he peeked out from behind the tree. He could see the shadow of his mother creeping slowly toward the clearing he had just passed. She was walking carefully and looking from side to side, making sure that there was no immediate threat. But she didn't call his name. He was hoping she would call his name. He was scared.

He didn't want to make a sound.

"Percy," she said quietly. "Please come out."

Just as he was about to launch up and run into her arms, a shadow passed behind her. Percy froze in terror as the shadow turned into a person. His mom froze as well, as if she felt the presence behind her. But she didn't turn around. She didn't have a chance to turn around.

The shadowed person behind her raised a knife, a bronze one, and stabbed her right through her back. The tip of the bronze blade was thrust so far through her that it appeared on the other side of her body. It prodded through the front of her abdomen for a split second, and that was all it took for Percy to see it. Clapping his hand over his mouth to stop from making a sound, he felt tears spring in his eyes. He wanted to shout now. But the bad man would kill him if he made a sound.

The man yanked the knife back out and dropped her to the ground.

Just as the figure turned, it hesitated. Percy thought he saw dark, cold eyes stare at him. A few precious seconds passed, and the figure turned away. When the figure wasn't overshadowed by trees, Percy saw that his head didn't look like a human's head. There looked like there was something on his head. It looked…it looked like a helmet of some sort. But the figure was too dark. He couldn't tell.

The figure suddenly dissolved into the wind, and Percy leaped out of his spot. His mom was still conscious, but he saw a lot of blood. She looked pale and her eyes were fluttering.

"Mom," he cried urgently. "Mom!"

"Percy," she whispered quietly. "Come…come here."

"I _am_ here." He let the tears fall freely. "Mom! You can't be dying. You can't!"

She reached up with a hand and gently caressed his check. "You are my brave little boy, Perseus. Be safe, my hero. You must…you must trust the trees. Do not ignore them. They… They will help you. I promise."

"Mom?"

"Percy…"

He threw his arms around her and hugged her. He was terrified. She never hugged him back. He could feel her breath slowing down. She was on the verge of death. She would not be coming back. And that harsh reality hit him like a bowling ball. Who would he live with? He had no one left…no family. There was…nothing. He had nothing.

"I love you so much, Percy," his mom sighed. Her eyes slowly closed. "Everything is going to be okay. I give you my blessing, Percy. You _are_ a hero…" And she went limp. Every muscle in her body loosened.

And she never moved again.

* * *

**So... uh, new story? I dunno. I've kind of been moving away from ancient times because, well, I felt like creating this. This is the beginning of a new story, which is a lot like my other Percy Jackson series, but Percy comes from a different background, goes through different trials, and is a different person. Otherwise, it's still pretty basic and I don't expect that this will be a hit. I just feel like writing this, so I'm writing this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this except the plot. Rick Riordan owns the characters and some settings, mythology owns some creatures, and the universe owns other settings.**

**Just a heads up... This is not meant to be extremely realistic. Percy, at times, may not seem like a six-year-old, and at other times, will seem like a six-year-old. Much of this beginning is passive and is building up to the main conflict. Thanks so much.**

**SharkAttack719**


	2. A New Life

**Chapter 2**

"Mom!" Percy screamed. "Mom!"

All seemed dead in the world. Everything had come to a standstill. They had just been out for a walk. His mom said she needed to "clear her mind." Nothing bad was supposed to happen. It was just a walk. But now his mom was dead. Nothing in the world should look beautiful. Nothing deserved to be beautiful.

Grief and anger surged through the young boy. Poseidon could sense it.

He watched darkly from Olympus as his heart grew heavy. There was nothing he could do. Zeus would have his head if he did anything. No one could know. Percy had to blend in…sneak right underneath the noses of the Olympians. He had to fool even Athena.

Poseidon curled a hand around his trident in sorrow. He'd never quite loved a mortal woman like this. She was a queen amongst mortals: always kind, and so forgiving. Yet she knew when she needed to use her anger. She was much like Hestia, the only other god _or_ goddess who had Percy's identity figured out. Poseidon winced when he remembered her chastising.

The Sea God didn't know who had murdered Sally. It was a presence far more powerful than a mortal's or a demigod's, but not as powerful as an Olympian. His first thought lingered to Hades, the Lord of the Dead. But Hades' presence was far more powerful than this. It could not have been him. He could not muse on it long. Godlings would become suspicious.

He knew he had to do something to help the boy. Otherwise some force might come and kill him as well. In fortune, Hera was making her case against Zeus for fathering his daughter, her birth coming mere months after Percy's. If no one was watching… He needed to make sure of that.

Poseidon stood up and walked out of his temple. It was like any other night on Olympus, which made for a perfect time to sneak out. There was no summer solstice. It had passed. The winter solstice was far off, so there were no special occasions for a while.

As he passed Aphrodite's temple, he heard some unpleasant noises coming from inside. That crossed two Olympians off the list.

He passed a street market where Nemesis and Tyche were arguing about fortune cookies, just as they had been for the past few decades or so. It was a ridiculous argument, but he couldn't be hypocritical. He and Zeus often argued about which type of storms were better. Needless to say, hurricanes are better than tornadoes.

Hephaestus was probably busy in his forge, and Apollo would be sleeping or at a night club. Artemis was near Yellowstone with her Hunters, and Dionysus was at Camp Half-Blood. Hera and Zeus were arguing in the throne room. That was eight of twelve. Demeter… Poseidon didn't care much if she found out. He would threaten to flood her crops if she did. And there was himself. Ten of twelve.

The only two he really had to worry about were Hermes and Athena.

Athena was smart. She wouldn't be so easy to fool. And Hermes was a trickster. He would be everywhere.

Shrinking down to human size, he made his way toward the elevator. Morphing human clothes onto him, he glanced over the edge. He knew Central Park was where he needed to be, so with a snap of his fingers, he dissolved into an ocean breeze before reappearing barely fifty feet away from his son. He quietly tapped the tree next to him, keeping an eye on his son.

A few seconds later, a young teenage girl wearing a green _chiton_ and laced sandals appeared next to him. A dryad. Her green eyes stared at the Sea God partially in respect and partially in fear. He smiled at her.

"Hello, Frisia," he greeted.

The dryad gave him a smile. "Lord Poseidon."

"Frisia's better than black locust, eh?"

"Of course. What do you require of me?"

Poseidon pointed toward Percy. "That boy. Would you please get him to Camp Half-Blood? Call a satyr…tell the naiads…tell other dryads. Just get him to camp safely. That is all I ask."

The dryad nodded. "With pleasure. But…Lord Poseidon." She hesitated. "May I ask… Why that boy?"

Poseidon looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Swear to the Styx that none that this secret is revealed to shall tell the gods on Olympus."

"I swear to the Styx."

"He is my son."

Frisia's eyes widened. "A child of Poseidon? But the oath—"

"I fell in love with that woman, Sally Jackson. Six years ago, my son, Percy, was born. For a long time, I haven't seen them… I didn't have a chance to see them. Zeus was as paranoid as usual. Hera discovered Thalia four years ago, but nobody else knows. Hades doesn't know about her existence. Yet…when Apollo warned me about something like this, as he was the first to realize I had a son, I did not believe him. Alas, I couldn't have done anything anyway. Not when everyone is looking."

Frisia bowed her head in a moment of silence. Then she spoke: "I promise you, Lord Poseidon. I will do everything in my power to get Percy to Camp Half-Blood."

"Thank you."

He turned and prepared to leave, but before he could, Frisia said, "Wait!"

Poseidon turned around and gave the dryad a questioning look. She took a deep breath, and dryads all around began poking their heads out. He gently urged her, "Go on."

"The…the man that killed Sally…" She paused. "Well, he was neither a man nor a god. But he was a _he_. I have never felt a power like that. It was almost as if…as if he wasn't at full strength. His full strength is like a god's…but…not like a god's at the same time. I must sound confusing but—"

He held a hand up, his green eyes wide with realization. "I understand, Frisia. I thank you. I thank you very much." And he disappeared.

Fifty feet away, Percy's head snapped up. He thought he smelled an ocean breeze whisk by, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Who's there?" He meant to shout it, but it sounded quiet in the large forest. "You can't hurt me anymore!"

He was met with silence.

Traumatized, all Percy wanted to do was curl up in the limp grip of his mother's arm and fall asleep hoping that this was just a bad nightmare that he would wake up from. He wanted to believe that this was a dream. But he could feel and see so clearly that he knew it wasn't fake. It wasn't pretend.

Sobbing, he sat there. He didn't know what to do. He was six. There was nothing left for him to go back to. He wished he could have gone with his mother into death. He wished the shadow had killed him. Now he was stuck living in a world that didn't care about his mother. That world had killed her parents when she was young. That world had left her with nothing but him. And then that world killed her when _he_ was still young.

"Percy?" a soft voice said from above him.

Looking up, he held his arms up to protect himself. It was a natural instinct. But when he didn't feel any pain, he slowly lowered his arms. A young girl, in her teens, stood above him. She looked completely unafraid, but she wore a sad face. Her face was small compared to his mother's, and her eyes were bright green, kind of like his. She wore a dress of some kind, and it was green as well.

Percy turned to his right and saw another girl in a similar outfit, but her dress was red like cherries. Her eyes were also green, but every once in a while, they would switch to red. It was weird, but for some reason he couldn't understand, it suited the girl.

There were five of them, and suddenly Percy felt timid. He marveled at the beautiful young women but was embarrassed to be in their presence. Especially when there were so many of them. He was shy.

"Percy? Is that your name?" the first girl asked. The one with green eyes and a green dress. "I'm Frisia."

"Hi—um, hi, Frisia," he said timidly.

Frisia smiled and turned to the other girls. "He's a cute little boy."

"I know," gushed the red-dressed one. "He'll be a good hero. I know it."

"Oh, shut up, Cherry," Frisia said. "You're going to freak him out. As if he's not freaked out already. He's talking to dryads. I bet you he doesn't even know what dryads—"

"What's a _dryad_?" Percy asked.

Cherry crouched down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, and he was surprised to find her touch comforting, like she was a mother. "Do you know Greek mythology?"

Percy's eyes lit up. He nodded.

"And you know about nymphs?"

"Yes."

"Well, dryads are the spirits of trees. For example, my tree is the cherry tree. And Frisia's is the black locust."

He frowned. "But…but Greek myths aren't true. They're stories. Mom always told me Greek myths were tales of the ancient Greeks—"

"_Of_ the ancient Greeks," Cherry interjected. "She never said they made it up."

He knit his eyebrows. "How—? Who am I? _What_ am I?"

"A demigod," she said with a sad smile. "Half human, half god."

"Like…like Hercules?"

"Yeah."

Percy pointed at Frisia. "And you're a tree?"

Frisia snapped her fingers and disappeared. A couple seconds later, her head appeared out of the black locust. Just her head. No body. No legs. No hands. Nothing. Just a head. And that was enough to put Percy over the edge.

Scared and stunned, Percy collapsed on the spot. He fainted and the darkness consumed him.

* * *

When Percy woke up, he found himself sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over his legs, a pillow behind his neck.

On the table next to him was a large drink. It was a glass of iced apple juice with a green squiggly straw. Reaching over, he grabbed the glass and drank it. He recoiled at the taste, because he was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies.

And not just any cookies—his mother's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies. Percy stared at the glass in amazement. It was like magic. He felt as if his mom had just brushed her hand against his cheek, given him a cookie, and told him everything was going to be okay.

"Not what you were expecting?" a voice asked from his right.

Turning to look, Percy saw a middle-aged man in a wheelchair. He had brown hair, bushy eyebrows, brown eyes and a messy beard. The man was giving him a look he didn't quite understand. He stared back and said, "Who are you?"

The man smiled kindly. "You may call me Chiron."

The name clicked in his head. "The trainer of Hercules and Achilles?" Percy exclaimed loudly. "But aren't you supposed to be dead? And a horse?"

"Centaur," Chiron corrected. "And as for the question of being dead… well, I'm not so sure about being dead. The truth is I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from the wish…and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."

"So…you're immortal?"

"Yes. I suppose I am."

"But…Chiron. Where am I? What am I doing here? Where's…what's—?"

"All will be answered soon, child," the centaur-in-a-wheelchair said. "First, I think we should have an introduction."

"Introduction?"

"Introduction to Camp Half-Blood. But first, finish the nectar."

Percy gave him a confused look. Chiron motioned toward the apple juice. "It will make you feel better," Chiron said.

The boy gingerly took the glass and drained it. He stared into it, sure he'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted. He _did_ feel stronger, though, as if the drink had given him a boost of energy. He didn't feel so tired and worn out.

Chiron rolled over in his wheelchair and took the glass from his hands. "Do you know what nectar is, child?"

"Mom said it was the drink of the gods. And ambrosia is the food."

"Yes. Demigods, like yourself, can drink nectar and eat ambrosia as well, though in small doses."

"Small what?"

"You cannot drink too much or eat too much at once. Otherwise, you will burn up into ashes. The food is meant for the immortals, but since your blood contains godly blood as well as human blood, you are able to handle the godly food."

"I have godly blood?" Percy asked curiously.

Chiron's eyes darkened. "You said your mother was mortal? She told you that it was the drink of the gods. And—"

Percy looked down. "My mom is dead."

"And so your father is a god." The centaur-in-a-wheelchair said it with such casualty; Percy looked up to glare at him. But when the boy met those dark brown eyes, he saw sadness in them. And his anger dissipated. Chiron continued, "Did your mother ever tell you about your father?"

He looked back down. "She said I look like him. And that…that he was lost at sea before I was born. Lost, not dead. Lost."

Chiron's breath hitched for the slightest second, but Percy didn't notice. He was too angry. Too sad.

"My dad is a god?" Percy asked, still disbelieving.

The centaur nodded. "Come, my boy. You should meet Mr. D and the satyr that saved you."

The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.

As they came around the opposite end of the house, Percy gaped in amazement.

They were somewhere on Long Island, maybe the north shore, because on this side of the house the valley ran all the way up to the water, which glittered out in the distance. Between here and there, there were like a million different things he could see. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture: a roofless lunch area, an amphitheater, a circular arena. Except they all looked brand new, the white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes slid across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts were chasing each other around a bunch of cabins tucked in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail…winged horses.

Down at the end of the porch, a man sat lazily at one end of a card table. A half goat man (Percy's mom called them satyrs) stood next to a blonde-haired guy against the porch rail next to the man.

The man at the card table was small, but chubby. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he looked like he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's parties.

"That's Mr. D," Chiron introduced. "He's the camp director, so be polite. The satyr's name is Gleeson Hedge, though he prefers Coach Hedge ever since he became a P.E. teacher at a Toronto high school. And the boy is Nathan Grayson. One of the oldest campers, he will be leaving for college next year. He's a son of Athena."

Chiron wheeled up to the table, and Percy sat next to him. Everyone's eyes were on him as he approached. Mr. D stared at him with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

Percy sat down to Chiron's left and didn't say a word. Mr. D sounded a lot like Gabe, and that made him like the camp director less and less.

"Nathan?" Chiron called to the blonde guy. "Why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Nathan said, "Sure, Chiron."

Nathan was a lot older than he was. And a lot more athletic looking. He had a deep tan and blonde hair. But his eyes made him look…different. They were startling grey, like storm clouds. He looked like he was trying to stare right through him. He said, "Welcome to camp. You'll love it here."

Then he jogged off down the lawn toward the cabins.

Percy looked at Coach Hedge next. Hedge was short. He wasn't much taller than him even though he looked like he was like forty years old. He had beady eyes, looked really strong, and had a wispy goatee. Hedge stared at him like he was expecting him to say something.

"Percy, this is Coach Hedge, the satyr that helped bring you to camp," Chiron introduced.

"Nice to meet you, too, cupcake," grunted the old satyr. "Fight was over when I came, but…uh, sorry 'bout your mother."

Percy nodded, uncomfortable again.

"Hedge," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"

"No,_ sir_," Hedge answered. The tone in the satyr's voice made it clear that he didn't like the way Mr. D spoke to him. Percy could tell that much.

Then the camp director turned to him. "Young man, are you bidding or not?"

"Uh, bidding?"

Impatiently, Mr. D explained bidding and the whole game of pinochle. Percy liked the camp director even less now.

"But, I don't want to play," he said after the explanation.

Mr. D fumed. His whole face turned purple. "Why can't these brats die with their useless mortal parents?"

It took a little while, but Percy realized that it was meant as an insult. "My mom isn't useless!"

"_Was_," Mr. D corrected. "She's dead now, right?"

He couldn't control his temper. The Diet Coke can that Mr. D had been drinking from suddenly exploded, and Diet Coke sprayed everywhere. The metal can had exploded into pieces. Coach Hedge picked one piece up from the ground and chewed on it like a candy bar. Mr. D's eyes flared, but before anything bad could happen, Chiron interjected.

"Calm down." His tone was calm and steely. "I'm sure it was an accident, Dionysus. He _is_ a six-year-old boy."

Mr. D glared at Percy. "Watch your back, demigod. Or I will have your head."

Percy went wide-eyed. "Dionysus?"

"Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"

He knit his eyebrows. "Why are you here?"

The god threw his arms up in the air as Chiron winked at him. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."

"Yes," Dionysus confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time. Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time—well, she was pretty, and I couldn't stay away—the second time. He sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha! Absolutely unfair."

"But… but—"

"Oh, save the 'but's," the god sniveled. "What did you expect me to be?" he asked, as if reading Percy's thoughts. "A young man? I often reflect my mood and what others see me as, so I'm not a handsome young man all the time."

He got up. "I'm tired," he said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."

When the god was gone, Coach Hedge whistled, impressed. "You've got guts. Standing up to a god. And you're probably asking for a death wish, too. I'll see you in a bit."

Hedge trotted off the porch and across the grassy field toward the huge forest down by the arena and cabins. Percy looked across at Chiron, who had a calm expression on. When the centaur noticed that the young boy was looking at him, he gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, Percy. Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been… ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

"Mount Olympus," Percy said. "There is a Mount Olympus?"

"Well, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. The mount that the mortals believe the Greek gods once 'lived.' And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."

"What is a convergence point? What do you mean the gods move?"

"A convergence point is a point where things meet, in the simplest of definitions. And, well, the gods move with the heart of the west, so they have come here to the United States of America."

"The heart of the west?"

"Percy, the United States… and many western countries are a part of what mortals called 'Western civilization.' This is not just an abstract concept, a concept that is made up by the minds of humans. No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization was obliterated, or destroyed. The fire started in Greece. Then the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps—Jupiter for Zeus, Neptune for Poseidon, and so on—but the same forces, the same gods."

"Uh…"

"The gods simply moved," Chiron continued. "To Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in painting, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. The Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I dare you to find an American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome either—America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."

The words seemed to float right out of Percy's head. They went in one ear and out the other. But at the same time, he could remember them. It hurt his head. He was tired. He lost his mother. It was hard to believe.

And then the weirdest thing happened. Chiron rose from his wheelchair. His legs didn't move, but the man kept rising, as if he was standing up. Suddenly, the body of a horse began growing out of the chair. Even though he knew Chiron was a centaur, it was still difficult to process what he was seeing. The wheelchair was suddenly a magic box, and a horse's leg came out. Then another front leg. Then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal box with two fake human legs attached.

"Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."

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**Heyyy! This is mostly a build-up backstory chapter. In fact, you don't really see much of the action until later. This is the beginning, and I know it is slow, but I feel that this is all necessary. Besides, I do skip a lot of things and end up rushing them often so you'll have to bear with me. I figured, since I already had this written, that I would upload it, but what I'm doing different this time is writing a few chapters ahead of what I'm uploading.**

**So, I hope you enjoy.**

**DON'T FORGET TO ASK ME QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY!**

**SharkAttack719**


	3. Introductions

**Chapter 3**

No one looked at him as they made their way through camp.

Most of the campers were older than him. Like a lot older than him. The camper he thought looked closest to his age was twelve. That was six years older than him.

Percy looked back at the farmhouse. It was really big. It looked like it had three or four floors, was painted blue like the sky. He glanced at the brass eagle on top of the building when a shadow flickered in the window of the attic. The curtain had suddenly moved, and a cold and eerie feeling crept up his spine.

"What's up there?" he asked Chiron.

Chiron looked where he was pointing and his smile faded. "Just the attic."

"Is there something in there?"

The centaur hesitated, like he was choosing his words carefully: "Not a single living thing."

Percy believed him. But there was something about the attic that made him feel like something was strange.

"Come along, Percy," Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little tense. "Lots to see."

They walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe. Chiron said that the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses," he explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort."

He said Mr. D had that effect on fruit-bearing plants. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.

Percy watched the satyr play his pipe. The music was causing all the bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like it was a disease. Smirking, he snatched a strawberry and ate it.

The campers picking berries all gave him weird looks, but they carried on with their business.

"My mom would've took one for me," Percy said in defence.

"Taken," Chiron corrected. "And… I'm sure your mother would have…"

"Now she's in the Underworld."

"Yes."

"Chiron?"

"Yes, Percy?"

"Hades is the god of the dead, right?"

"Well, Lord of the Dead. He does not personify death itself. That is Thanatos' job. But he is the lord of the dead and god of riches."

"Then… then who is the god of shadows?"

Chiron raised an eyebrow. As the centaur looked at Percy, the boy tried to remember the figure that killed his mother. The shadow had a hat on…some sort of helmet or something. Like Hades'… Helm of Darkness.

"There is no specific god of shadows, my boy, but there are deities of the—"

"But Hades has a Helm of Darkness, right?"

Chiron's expression darkened, as if he knew what he was thinking.

"The Helm of Darkness encases him in the shadows, yes, but such power would radiate far. The Olympians would know if he was in New York wearing his Helm of Darkness."

But an idea was already beginning to grow in Percy's head. He didn't pay attention to the rest of the tour. Chiron just led him through the camp until they made it to the cabins, which were the weirdest assortment of buildings Percy had ever seen. Every single cabin looked different. As he stared, he caught Chiron talking to Nathan as they stood outside the Athena cabin.

The giant owl above the door glared daggers at him the entire time. Soon, Chiron was galloping off, and Nathan was speaking to him: "Hey, Percy. Come on, we're going to make a quick visit to the Hermes cabin and then we're going to have a little sword fighting lesson, 'cause, uh, I'm the sword instructor here. And the Hermes cabin is up next."

"Okay."

Nathan led him to the Hermes cabin, which looked the most human… the most ordinary. The brown paint was peeling. The whole thing looked old. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. He couldn't remember what it was called.

"Mortals… well, they're not the smartest people," Nathan said from beside him. "That's a caduceus, staff of Hermes. But it's sometimes misused as the rod of Asclepius."

"Ask-leh-what?"

"Asclepius. A-s-c-l-e-p-i-u-s. He's an old Greek god of medicine. Most people forgot about him. The Romans started it. From what Chiron says my siblings and I have determined that Asclepius faded during the European Dark Ages because the Romans made Apollo the god of healing and medicine. And Apollo's graciously embraced that. His kids have power of healing. Some of them. And I guess the Greeks during the rise of the Roman Republic accepted that fact."

"Gods can die?"

"They don't just die… They _die_-die." Nathan paused, looking for the right words. "We don't know where they go, but probably a safe haven somewhere in Chaos. They _never_ come back… usually. Human spirits… human souls, which include demigods, are able to be reborn into this world. But gods can only fade if their source power has been destroyed or are forgotten. And they don't come back unless… Chiron said that it was dark magic. That's all I know."

An old story flickered in his head. "So like that satyr who shouted that Pan was dead."

Nathan's eyes flickered with warning. "Don't let satyrs hear you say that. For thousands of years, satyrs have been searching for Pan. They won't believe that he's dead and… or gone. I don't know if he _is_ gone. Looking at human pollution, it's easy for demigods to conclude that he is dead but…" Nathan stopped himself. "Let's go inside. Meet your new cabin mates."

The two of them stood in the doorway, and Nathan whistled to catch everyone's attention. All of them glanced at Percy at one point or another as Nathan began speaking.

"Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.

Nathan said, "Undetermined."

Everybody groaned.

"Undetermined?" Percy asked.

"Their godly parent hasn't claimed them yet," Nathan explained.

"The gods don't say hi?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"But Chiron said they're here in America. Can't they come?"

"No… but good, good. You're embracing the fact that the gods are still living in America today. I know it's hard to believe at first, but you'll get used to it. We're all family here. And I doubt people would dare trick an innocent six-year-old."

Percy noticed he gave certain people pointed looks.

One of the older girls took a step forward. "Yeah, you pretty much know what it means. Undetermined means they don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron or dad, is the god of travelers."

"There are twelve cabins, right?" Percy asked.

"One for each of the Olympians. The heads are Zeus and Hera. No one stays in those cabins. There are also the Poseidon and Artemis cabins which no one lives in. Long story for Zeus and Poseidon. But, uh, there's the Dionysus cabin across from us. There's Aphrodite, number ten; Hephaestus, nine; Apollo, eight; Athena, six; Demeter, four."

"You forgot about the Ares kids," Nathan reminded.

She gave him a dark look. "Don't even get me started on those little—"

"Demons," someone said quickly.

The Hermes kids gestured toward Percy, which confused him. What were they referring to? Was it something that she was going to say?

"Doesn't matter," Nathan sighed. "You're having sword-fighting class with them, and you're stuck with 'em. And that class is right about now."

It took a while, because the Hermes cabin was as crowded as Times Square during the holidays. Well, actually, New York—especially Manhattan—was busy throughout the year. But it didn't matter. What mattered to Percy was that he couldn't find a balanced weapon; there was no sword or knife that felt comfortable in his hands. Nothing seemed to suit him.

They started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor.

Percy learned quickly that the Ares kids were like bullies. They were rude, mean and, aside from their head counselor, were pretty ugly. The head counselors from both cabins fought often. It turned out the girl that had stepped up in the Hermes cabin, Rose, was the head counselor for Hermes. And Brooklyn was the name of the Ares head counselor.

They looked like they were going to kill each other, which was exciting and scary at the same time.

"You know what, Rose?" Brooklyn growled. "I _will_ go polish my spear. So I can run you through during capture the flag."

"_Erre es korakas_!" Rose shouted, which Percy recognized as "Go to the crows!" in ancient Greek. He figured it was more insulting than it seemed.

"Hey hey hey!" Nathan tried intervening. "Stop it you two."

"Don't get involved in this Nate," Brooklyn snapped. "You're just going to make this problem worse."

"You wanna fight?" Rose challenged Brooklyn.

As quickly as a viper, Brooklyn lunged with her sword, hit the base of Rose's and twisted, putting her whole weight into a downward thrust. Rose had no choice but to drop her weapon, and Brooklyn head-butted her.

"Not a chance," said the Ares head counselor.

The rest of the class was a giant fight between the Hermes and Ares cabin. Percy just stood aside and watched. By the end of class, most of the Hermes kids were tired and injured. A couple had to go to the infirmary.

Nathan still forced them to go to archery.

But apparently Chiron didn't want Percy at archery. When the Hermes group arrived, Percy saw a satyr standing next to him. He looked a lot younger than Coach Hedge. The briefing was brief. Percy learned that the satyr's name was Grover Underwood, and Grover would be in charge of leading him around.

"So, how do you like camp so far?" Grover asked nervously.

"It's fun."

"Really? Rose told me that you were fighting an Ares kid."

"She was nice. She shook my hand."

As they spoke, they passed by the twelve cabins, which caught Percy's attention. He stopped walking, and the satyr stopped to see what he was looking at.

"Oh," Grover exclaimed. "Well, those are the cabins. I'm sure you've been introduced to them."

"Why is there no Hades cabin?" he asked.

"I guess the same as why he doesn't have a throne on Olympus," Grover shrugged. "He got the Underworld. The land of the dead."

"They're scared of him," Percy decided.

"Who?"

"Zeus and Poseidon. They're scared of Hades."

"I wouldn't say that. I mean, if Hades did have a cabin here…" Grover shuddered. "It would be freaky."

"Nathan said Zeus and Poseidon have cabins that don't have people in them. But Zeus had a lot of kids: Perseus and Hercules. And so did Poseidon: Theseus and Orion. Why don't they have people in them?"

Grover shifted uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon and Hades—agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. They wouldn't have any more kids. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx. The most serious oath anybody can make."

Thunder boomed.

"So there are no kids of Zeus or Poseidon?"

"Not that we know of."

"Not since the World War II?"

Grover sniffed and gave him a hesitant look. "No. We would probably know about any. Children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a smell that attracts monsters. By the time the child is seven or eight, it's not safe for them to be in the mortal world anymore. That's why most children of the Big Three are killed."

"But there used to be a lot of Big Three kids?" Percy asked.

"Yeah. That shows you how many times Zeus and Poseidon had…um…affairs with women."

"Children of Zeus can shoot lightning, right?"

"I don't know. I've never seen one."

"And Poseidon?"

"I… I guess the ocean really helps them."

"Hades?"

"I wouldn't want to meet a son of Hades. That's for sure."

Percy looked at the two big cabins. "If Poseidon, Zeus and Hades kids are the most powerful, what are the others? Athena, Hephaestus, Apollo, Hermes."

"They are good at other things," Grover sighed. "Like the Athena kids are smart. The Apollo kids are good at archery. Hermes kids are tricksters and thieves. And Hephaestus kids are good at metalwork. Making swords and stuff like that. It all depends on their parent."

"So if I'm good at something, people know who my dad is?"

Grover grimaced. "Well, Percy. The gods are busy. And, uh, sometimes they forget about demigods. Ignore demigods. Your dad may never claim you. I forgot to tell you, Chiron and Hedge told me a bit about you, so I know your mother was a mortal."

"What?" Percy knit his eyebrows in confusion. "My dad might not look for me?"

"At least half of the kids in the Hermes cabin are unclaimed. Their godly parent never claimed them."

"Half?"

Grover held up both his hands. "Out of ten people, five of them are not claimed." He closed one hand.

Percy counted his fingers and looked up in shock and surprise. "That's a lot."

"It's sad. But it's true. The gods don't pay attention much."

"They should."

"But they don't."

Percy looked down. Along with all of the weird things he'd been through, he remembered something happy. It was like a warm glow. Like a powerful presence. It could have been a dream, but he was sure that it was real.

When Percy went to bed that night, he couldn't get the feeling of loneliness out of his head. He was alone with no mom, a dad who would never talk to him, and no friends. He was younger, and the other kids were intimidating.

He cried into his pillow, and as he fell asleep, he thought he heard a dark, raspy voice say "There there, Percy. Everything will be all right. The gods may not care about you, but there are people who do. Don't cry."

And for four years, Percy Jackson trained to become one of the best swordsman camp had seen for centuries for his age. But every night, he would delve into darkness where a voice goaded him, lured him to hate the Olympians. And with every day that passed, the angrier he felt toward the gods for never helping him. Not even in the slightest.

Then came the arrival of Luke Castellan.

* * *

**I'm going to be gone for a little while, but it won't really affect anything. Just another build-up chapter. If there's anything I can improve on, tell me nicely. Thanks.**

**SharkAttack719**


	4. A New Friend

**I forgot in the previous chapters to put a disclaimer. So here it is. Just in case.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, some settings, mythology or the general idea behind the plot. However, I do own little, specific points that deter from the actual plot line of PJO. Unless, of course, someone has done the _exact_ same story before me.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Percy Jackson sat in the back of the amphitheater. He watched the campfire quietly as Luke Castellan made it up to the front. The fire in the center blazed with glee and anticipation. People loved new campers.

But Percy couldn't care less. Just another person doomed to another sad, depressing life.

When Chiron began to introduce him, a symbol began glowing over his head. A caduceus. A son of Hermes.

"Luke Castellan, son of Hermes!" Chiron announced.

The Hermes cabin erupted around Percy; most of them were kids who'd arrived after him. Most of them were older. Being a ten-year-old boy, it wasn't uncommon for campers to be older than him. Percy stood up slowly as Luke made his way over. The rest of the cabin mobbed him with high-fives and hugs. Lots of them got a new brother. Some, like him, just got a new cabin mate.

Luke looked about fourteen, and his face looked weary, like he'd been living on the streets. When Luke reached him, Percy extended his hand in a gesture to shake. The rest of the cabin went quiet and watched as the two stared each other down.

Luke shook the hand, and the cabin mobbed him again.

Percy glanced at Chiron, who was looking at him. There was a dark twinkle in the centaur's eyes. Percy knew the centaur could tell what he was thinking about just through his eyes. He gestured toward the beach, and Chiron nodded.

As Luke got settled in with his siblings, Percy slipped away. The capture the flag game wouldn't start for a good half an hour, so he wanted some time alone to think of a strategy. Honestly, Percy wasn't good with strategy. It was more of an Athena thing, but they were playing against the Athena kids. Unfortunately, they only had the Ares kids. And the worst part was that all of them were new. This girl that arrived a couple years ago named Clarisse La Rue, at just eleven, was the head counselor. It was pathetic.

He sighed as he reached the beach. Percy found the beach the most alluring. It seemed like it spoke to him. And he knew why. A couple months ago… it happened.

He was standing in the water, completely dry, wondering about his powers. He figured he was just a son of a water deity, like Achilles or something, but for some strange reason, his tie to the water seemed to be more than just keeping dry.

That abnormal winter day was when his life changed. As he was getting ready to leave the water, a man appeared at his side. The man wasn't dressed for winter. He wore a Hawaiian T-shirt, Bermuda khaki shorts and leather sandals. And the overwhelming presence made him immediately think that the man was a god. Percy had only seen one god in his life, and that was Mr. D. He wasn't prepared to see a god like Poseidon.

"Uh, hello?" Percy remembered saying.

"Hi," the man casually replied. "Nice day."

"Uh. Cold day. Why are you wearing shorts and a T-shirt?"

"It's what I usually wear. I supposed I've gotten comfortable in it. And I reflect my kingdom, which is fairly happy at the moment."

"Your kingdom?"

"Yes. My kingdom."

"Who are you?" Percy demanded.

He never usually meant to be rude. It just happened. He couldn't stop himself.

"You're a smart boy. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Percy snorted. "What god would want to talk to me? All of the gods have ignored me for my entire life. Including my dad."

"Oh, really? Do you know who your father is?"

"Not the slightest clue. Chiron always changes the topic when I ask. Grover keeps telling me I'm probably the son of a minor god. But I have a feeling that… that they're hiding something from me. It doesn't matter. I care about my dad about as much as he cares about me."

"How much does he care about you?"

"Not at all."

"And you're sure about that?"

"I've been at camp for four years, and he's never given me a symbol. Nothing. The best I can figure, I'm the son of a water deity."

"That you are."

Percy gave the man a strange look. "How do you know who I am?"

"I'm the only one who cares about who you are. And the ones that know don't bother to rat me out."

"What?"

The man sighed and pointed down at the water. Suddenly, there was a lamp glowing above the water. As the waves washed along the shore behind them, the water in front of him suddenly stilled. Percy saw his reflection: a boy with messy black hair and green eyes. Then he saw the reflection of the man next to him: a man with messy black hair and green eyes.

It didn't take him long to figure it out.

"You're my dad?" Percy choked. "Who's my dad? Who are you?"

"They call me Poseidon," his dad said quietly. "And I do agree. You have every right to be mad at me for never appearing to you face-to-face. But you know why I couldn't visit. Not until now, when the Olympians are busy dealing with the daughter of Zeus."

Percy gave Poseidon an incredulous look. "Mad? Mad?! I'm furious! For years you left me alone and now… now what? You think everything will be better? Wait… what daughter of Zeus?"

"No. I don't think that this will heal the rift between us. I'd be silly to believe that. But I'm telling you a warning. They've discovered Thalia, the daughter of Zeus. It's only a matter of time before they discover you. Practice your powers in secret and prepare, because the worst is about to hit us."

"So what if they discover me? I've been training for years at this camp. They wouldn't just attack me with everybody else around."

"Then you don't know my family," Poseidon said darkly. "I came here to warn you and claim you. You are _my_ son, whether you like it or not. It's up to you to decide your fate."

"You weren't there for me," he hissed. "I'm not going to be there for you."

Poseidon looked down. "Your choice is your choice. I won't stop you."

A part of Percy wanted the god to comfort him to keep him under his wing, because in truth, he was terrified. He knew this god was telling the truth, but at the same time he couldn't believe him. It was just as crazy as everything he'd been through in his messed up life. He was glad Poseidon wasn't like the dad that pretended to be sorry after years of not being there.

Okay, so he was the son of a really powerful sea god. Just a normal day as a demigod. That's all.

For a couple of seconds, Percy stood there, absorbing the information when he realized something. Staring wide-eyed at his father, he said, "I'm a broken oath. You and Zeus… You broke the oath."

"Which means I've given you a terrible fate," Poseidon said sadly. "I loved your mother. She was a queen among mortals."

"Then why didn't you help us?" Anger rose in his chest. His face heated up. "You could have saved her!"

"And destroy you in the process? Besides, I couldn't have. Sally made me swear to the Styx that I would not help her. She didn't want my help. I offered her protection. I'd offered to build an underwater palace just for her. I was watching that night. I helped bring you to camp. I notified Frisia. I sent a hint to Gleeson Hedge."

Percy screamed. "I hate you! I hate you!"

Poseidon winced. "Very well, Percy. I won't bother you any longer. But remember—you are powerful; use that power carefully and wisely."

With the snap of his fingers, he disappeared in a fine mist.

That day haunted him ever since, and being nighttime just before capture the flag didn't make him feel any better. People… centaurs—knew he was a son of Poseidon, but kept it hidden from the Olympians who were too ignorant to notice that he existed.

_Ignorant Olympians_, his mind said. _They don't care about you. In fact, Zeus would love to kill you. Why help them? Why be their pawn?_

Percy gritted his teeth. For years, the voice haunted him in his dreams. It spoke to him, trying to convince him that the gods didn't care about their children. And as much as he agreed, he couldn't bring himself to trust the voice. It sounded dark and evil. Not at all trustworthy.

He brought out his deadly sword—a ballpoint pen. Just a couple weeks after Percy met Poseidon, he had decided to visit the god's cabin. It was empty, lonely… but fresh. It reminded him of Montauk from when he was a little boy. On the nightstand of the bed he found the most comfortable was a ballpoint pen. A piece of paper underneath it read FOR PERSEUS JACKSON. It was the most beautiful, deadly sword he'd ever wielded. It fit him perfectly, even though it seemed far too long and heavy when looking at it. Chiron had asked him where he'd gotten it, and Percy revealed the truth. To other campers, Percy said that Chiron had given it to him.

Its name was Anaklusmos… Riptide in English. Chiron told him the sword had a dark past, which interested him. One day, he was going to find who its creator was. He, or she, would give him the secrets of the sword's ultimate power.

As far as he could tell, it was just another magical weapon. At least the pen would reappear in his pocket if he lost it; he was never good at keeping small items safe.

The celestial bronze blade glowed in the darkness, and as he turned the blade, he caught the reflection of a dark silhouette standing behind him.

He turned and saw the hulking figure of a young eleven-year-old girl. Clarisse La Rue was standing behind him with a scowl on her face.

"I thought I'd find you here," she said.

"You thought right. What do you want, Clarisse?"

She sneered. Ever since she'd gone on her quest last year to slay a drakon (which was a crazy quest _and_ she failed), she had never been the same. She was crueler. Less nice. Not that she was that nice in the first place.

They used to be sparring buddies. He'd started beating her once he turned nine, but now it felt like they were trying to kill each other every time they fought.

"What's with the rude tone?"

"Shut up, Clarisse. Just tell me what you want. And if you're asking about a battle plan, I don't have one. I came down here to think of one."

Clarisse scowled. "I came down to say that I want you in battle armor _now._ For the capture the flag game."

"Why now?"

"Because we're setting up traps with the Hephaestus cabins, and I don't want you falling into one of them. You may be stupid, but you're the best fighter this camp has to offer."

"Wow. Insulting me and complimenting me in the same sentence. Very crafty."

Clarisse shook her head. She brought up a point to jab at my soft spot. "I don't even understand why you're so whiny. He was just a son of Athena."

"So what, Clarisse? He was a mentor for both of us. Don't you realize how much he helped us? He helped a lot more than Brooklyn did."

She went red. "Don't talk about my sister like that."

"She liked using you," Percy growled. "Don't you remember? She was a bully!"

"Whatever. Be there."

And she angrily stalked off.

Percy closed his fist on Anaklusmos. He couldn't believe Clarisse had the nerve to believe Brooklyn was better than Nathan, the son of Athena who had given his life to guard the borders of Camp Half-Blood and saved the lives of three other guards. Even Nathan cared for her more than her sister. Percy could see that. Why couldn't Clarisse? She was stubborn and prideful. Kind of like him.

He capped his sword and put it back in his pocket. He shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly made his way to the "scary woods." The forest at camp reminded him of Central Park, and sometimes when he was walking alone, just exploring, he saw the shadow of the man who killed his mother. It was probably a hallucination. Things tended to be hallucinations. Or nightmares.

It wasn't hard to find the group of milling campers. They stood around talking in a clearing at the creek lit up by torches of Greek fire, the only fire that can burn in water.

The flames were often green, which, as far as Percy could tell, made them quite distinguishable.

"Hey, Percy!" shouted one of the Hermes campers. "Over here!"

Percy watched as Chiron pounded his hoof, and the crowd parted. The two teams separated: Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite and Dionysus; Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus and Demeter. Athena was blue, and Ares was red.

"Of course," Percy muttered. "We're blood red."

The silk banners stood tall and proud in the center of each team. The Athena banner was glistening grey, ten feet long, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. The Ares banner was bloody red, with a painting of a bloody spear and a boar's head. Last week, Percy had stolen the Hephaestus flag for Athena (a.k.a. He gave the flag to a child of Athena to carry over the creek boundary). This week, he was trying to take it back.

"Heroes!" Chiron announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Is everybody armed?"

Everyone cheered.

Clarisse yelled, "Red team, forward!"

The red team went down the path to the south. The blue team headed off toward the north.

Percy caught up to Clarisse easily. "I'm going with Luke to capture the flag. You and the Ares kids set up a distraction. Use the rest of the Hermes kids as defenders and distractions. The Hephaestus kids will be defence, and the Demeter campers will defend the flag."

"Fine." She repeated the plan to the rest of the team. They all cheered and went to their positions. Luke gave him a surprised look.

Percy smirked. "Don't look so surprised. I hear you're a good fighter."

Luke looked down. "I was on the run. I learned to fight on my own. On the streets."

"Cool. How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"I'm ten."

"And they say you're the best swordsman in the past three hundred years. At least, you have the potential to be. The oldest campers have a huge advantage over you, right?"

"Every person has a weakness in almost everything they do. No one is perfect. In most things, there isn't a 'best.'"

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Pretty smart for a young kid."

"Consequence of hanging around with Athena kids for the past four years of my life," he grinned. "But everyone learns that at one point or another. Just common knowledge."

Luke laughed. "Well, you know this forest better than I do. Why don't you lead the way?"

Percy took the reins, and led him to the edge of the forest. Far away, the conch horn blew. They heard whoops and yells in the woods, but Percy told Luke not to pay attention to it. They needed to be quiet. It was usually a trait of some children of Hermes: stealthy. They crossed into enemy territory and stayed to the edge of the woods.

"The Athena kids are smart," Percy told the son of Hermes.

Luke nodded. "They'll have a trick of some sort. Is it better to stay in a group together or split up?"

"I don't know. I'm not a strategist. I'm a fighter."

They wandered for another couple minutes before they found the Aphrodite kids. Percy groaned quietly, and Luke gave them a weird look. They were all looking at their reflections in mirrors, with their armor and weapons clattered all around them. Even the guys were putting cologne on.

"That is a _putrid_ smell," Luke coughed.

"A what?"

"A horrible smell," he clarified.

Percy nodded. "Yeah. I agree."

Suddenly, Luke moved forward. "What are you doing?" Percy hissed.

Luke looked back. "Don't worry. I have a plan."

Percy watched wide-eyed as Luke rose and appeared in the clearing for all the Aphrodite campers to see. He saw all the Aphrodite kids freeze, and Luke waved. "Hey."

One of the girls said, "Oh my gods, it's that cute new kid. Luke!"

Watching in disbelief, Percy saw the Aphrodite girls swarm him. Looking at Luke now, Percy realized that the guy was good-looking. He watched silently as Luke calmed the girls down. Especially because he had a sharp, pointy sword in his hands. The girls looked like they were ready to tackle him or something. Percy quietly snuck around so he could see Luke's face.

"What's your plan?" he whispered.

Luke raised his hands. "All right. Do any of you know where the flag is?"

"Ew," one said. "Who cares about the stupid capture the flag game? It makes us look ugly, gets us dirty, and is just gross in general. Why don't you join us here, Luke? We could have a… _fun_ time."

The son of Hermes looked a little uncomfortable now. "Maybe another time, ladies. But, uh, do any of you know where the flag is? Or did you just run off to put on your makeup and stuff?"

"I know where it is," a familiar voice said.

The group parted. Standing there was a really pretty girl with brown hair and blue eyes. Her name was Silena Beauregard. She was the second oldest Aphrodite camper, but had only been at camp for a year. Still, she was technically in line to be the next head counselor, unless a more experienced camper wished to take the place.

"Thanks," Luke said with a smile. "What's your name?"

"Silena Beauregard."

"Luke Castellan."

They shook hands.

"They put it on Zeus' Fist, or the Poop Pile," Silena said. "They only have four guards, and if you fight like they say you fight, you should be able to win easily."

"Poop Pile?"

"Long story."

Luke chuckled. "Well, thanks for the information. Um, I'll see if I can hang out with you girls some other time. You know, after capture the flag. See you later!"

"Bye!" they chorused.

As Luke ran into the shadows of the forest, Percy nearly made him scream. Luke obviously wasn't expecting him to be right there. It was a good thing Percy had quick reflexes. He covered Luke's mouth and whispered "Be quiet."

Just as Luke was catching his breath back, Percy glanced around the tree and heard the Aphrodite girls squealing. "O.M.G.! You got to touch Luke's hand."

"I know." Silena sounded stunned.

"What did it feel like?"

"Numbing."

An Aphrodite girl fainted.

Percy fought off the urge to snicker as he turned back to Luke, who now looked more… angry than freaked out. Percy gave him a look, and the two headed off toward Zeus' Fist. Once they were out of earshot, Luke punched Percy in the shoulder.

"You couldn't have told me you moved?" he hissed.

Percy shrugged. "Didn't think I needed to. Anyway, Zeus' Fist is off this way. If they only have four guards, we should be fine. Athena kids are smart, but not all of them are good fighters."

"I hope you're right," Luke muttered.

"I _know_ I'm right."

Zeus' Fist was this random pile of rocks in the Camp Half-Blood forest that, from one angle, looked like a large fist. From any other angle, it looked like a pile of deer poop. Percy told Luke the story about Zeus' Fist, which basically included a lot of talk about deer poop. Chiron had insisted on not being disrespectful by calling the pile of rocks the "Poop Pile" especially because it was named after the king of the gods. And Percy figured Zeus didn't have a sense of humor.

It was the perfect place to put a flag because it was clearly visible but extremely hard to climb. Besides, it was high up enough so that the guards didn't have to worry about being too close. That also meant that they weren't at full attention. Sometimes challenges were fun.

As soon as they approached the rocks, Percy scouted the guards.

"There are four of them," Percy whispered to Luke. "Just like Silena said. But I have a feeling there are Apollo campers hiding in the trees. We're going to have to be quick. Apollo's got a lot of different arrows, and you don't want to get hit with a sonic arrow. Those suck."

Luke bit his lip. "If there are Apollo campers, then we're screwed because we can't see them. And I don't think it's possible to disarm opponents in their friendly territory. Can we knock them out?"

"No killing and no maiming," Percy said. "You tell me if there's anything about knocking people out."

Then it looked like an idea in his head lit up. The son of Hermes pointed at the top of the rock. "Wait, so that's in plain sight? What we can do is draw them archers out with a distraction, either you or me. And then the second person can take down the campers who are shooting from the trees before taking the flag and running off."

"Will it work?" Percy asked.

Luke chuckled. "We should leave the strategy-making to the Athena kids."

"Great. Let's do something stupid."

"Am I going out or are you?"

"I'll do it. They'll expect me to come. And we better hurry, before the Athena campers win."

Without waiting for an answer, Percy burst out into the clearing and made sure he was immediately spotted. All four guards came to attack him. He knew that he couldn't fight them all at once so he leaped straight up onto Zeus' Fist. Scrambling up, he felt a blade cut his calf. Wincing in pain, he brought his legs up.

The guard shouted, "Sorry, Perce!"

Suddenly, a screaming arrow slammed into the rocks next to his face, and he nearly lost his grip. He couldn't hear anything out of his left ear. It was ringing like crazy. Looking down, he saw the four guards spreading out to make sure he couldn't escape. Arrows whizzed by him like he was caught in a rainstorm, trying hard not to hit him, but trying to make him fall off.

As he slowly made his way to the top, he noticed the number of arrows being shot at him decreased. Luke worked quickly. Very quickly.

It wasn't long before no arrows were being fired at him. But the good thing was that there were no kids clambering down to aid the Athena guards. It didn't take long for the children of Athena to figure out there was something wrong. But by then, they were too late.

A streak of light came out of the woods and nearly impaled one of the guards through the neck. Then the screaming arrows, the sonic arrows, came and the guards momentarily lost their focus.

With Anaklusmos in his hands, Percy grabbed the flag and slid down the fist. He cringed in pain as the fabric of his pants rubbed against his wound causing friction. As he came down, Luke appeared out of the woods and began fighting off the guards. When Percy got off the rocks, he immediately sprinted back toward the creek.

He'd never felt better. And his instincts told him Luke was on his tail, fighting off anyone who tried to attack them. He saw Hermes kids in jail cheering as he ran past, and those still fighting pushed on to rescue their comrades from jail. Clarisse and her group of Ares kids joined the pack as they ran back toward the creek.

The people around him fought like demons, especially Luke, creating what seemed to be an impenetrable force field around him.

Once they were twenty feet from the creek Percy grabbed Luke and shoved the flag into his hands. Percy turned to face the Athena and Apollo defenders and held the force field.

Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Their side exploded into cheers. The grey banner shimmered and turned to silver. The owl and the olive tree were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the red team picked him up and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron came out from the woods and blew the conch horn.

The game was over. They'd won.

Percy grinned and pointed at Luke, who grinned back. And after the celebrating, Percy knew he'd found a true demigod friend at last.

* * *

**A/N. Hey everybody!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm beginning to get more into the action, though the point of this chapter is to show Percy that he _is_ able to work with other demigods other than his mentors and people he knows he likes. He puts his faith and trust in Luke to fight it out together. Now, I know the description of this story points out that Percy wants revenge. However, in the actual story, he is always in doubt. He is hesitant about his morals and the justifications of his actions. Percy's character is quite stale at the moment, but I hope to develop him some more. In fact, a major (or minor; I still haven't decided how much to change him) change in him comes from a somewhat unlikely source.**

**In the next chapter, I do reveal that Percy does have a kind heart, but like some have pointed out. PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. If you watch your parent die, I'm sure it would be a lot more devastating that you'd think, and it's especially because Percy loves his mother so much that it would affect him so greatly. I won't reveal much more than that, but I want that background information to linger in your mind as you read this story. Unlike my other series, I'm going to make the PTSD be a real factor in his personality, his actions and his rate of maturity. Especially now that he's had a lot of time to calm and collect.**

**Thanks so much,  
SharkAttack719**


	5. Dark Turns

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Percy sat at the pinochle table silently. Luke swallowed nervously as Chiron stared him down.

"I understand that you might be feeling anxious or nervous about your quest," the centaur said calmly. "It's natural. Clarisse, on her first quest, had been somewhat uneasy before she left. Of course, she was ten at the time."

"Yeah but she's a child of Ares," Luke pointed out.

"Contrary to what you might think, children of Ares have feelings. They just tend to be more aggressive in their pursuits."

Percy snorted. "Bullies, you mean."

"So a run over of my quest again?" suggested Luke, deciding to change the topic.

"Your father said that it would be the same as one of Heracles' most challenging achievements. You must head to San Francisco, find the Garden of the Hesperides, and steal one of the golden apples that hang from the tree. It is guarded by a ferocious dragon, Ladon, whose scratch will poison you."

"If I get scratched, I die?"

"Not necessarily. But extremely likely."

"That makes me feel better," Luke said sarcastically.

"I will encourage you when I can, child," the centaur said sadly, "but I will not refrain from speaking the truth."

"Even when it's painful?"

"Even then."

Percy gave Luke an encouraging smile… well, as encouraging as it could be. It wasn't likely that Luke would survive, but he had to keep a positive outlook. Besides, if Heracles was lucky enough to steal the apple, Luke would be too. At least, Percy hoped he would.

It was a scary and dangerous quest, but it was somewhat achievable. A lot of the Hermes campers were jealous that their new brother suddenly got a quest from their dad, but Percy knew that quests were often more deadly than people let on. Getting a quest wasn't really a blessing. It was more of a punishment. There was great pride for accomplishing a quest, but often it involved much failure and pain that normal kids and teens would normally never experience. The quest members got hungry easily and never got enough sleep during the journey.

In simple terms—quests were horrible.

But people would do anything to make their parents proud. Like Clarisse.

Luke, on the other hand, was looking doubtful. Percy could see the lack of heart he felt toward the quest. After all, he was copying the accomplishments of another hero. It wasn't that spectacular. It would be spectacular if he survived, but the actual achievement wasn't really worth it.

_Where's the glory in doing something others have already done_, the dark voice said inside of his head.

The Crooked One. The Lord of Time. Kronos.

It had taken a long time for Percy to figure out who had been talking to him in his dreams. Kronos, the Titan Lord who had been sliced into a million pieces by his youngest son, Zeus, was preparing to rise once again. And Percy was contemplating joining him.

Kronos' arguments were persuasive. He loved Camp Half-Blood, but there was so much he was angry about.

Maybe the gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something?

Left alone for years. That's what'd happened to Percy.

Kronos had told him to recruit Luke ever since Luke began resenting his father. Every night, the same sharp voice prodded him, like a knife to his back. The way the Titan Lord spoke to him made him feel like every order he was given was a threat of some sort.

Even though quests were horrible, Percy felt like he needed one. Sure, he was a hypocrite, but what was he going to do. Staying at camp was uneventful. His entire life seemed like it was tucked into the depths of camp, and he'd already explored too much. Being in the outside world was where the real challenges were. He knew he was ready for it.

He snorted internally. He wasn't prepared for anything. He would die.

_Quest to the Sea of Monsters_, Kronos had said. _Retrieve the Golden Fleece. Revive me._

There were just two problems with that. Percy had no idea where Kronos was. Or the Sea of Monsters. It was just a giant blank. His only guess was the Mediterranean, but how the Hades would he get to Europe? And second, he didn't have a legitimate reason to leave camp. It would look suspicious, and Percy figured the gods would find out about him sooner. They already found out about Thalia, daughter of Zeus. At least, that's what his father told him.

Then there was the problem about children of the Big Three in general. He had no idea why they weren't allowed to be born. Just because they caused world wars? That couldn't be the only reason.

He needed to speak to Chiron about it, about Thalia, about everything.

Luke stood up from the table. "I'm ready."

"Very well," Chiron said. "Argus will lead you out."

The one-hundred-eyed guard of camp nodded and brought Luke away. Chiron turned to Percy and gave him a grim smile, "Let us hope Luke makes it back alive."

"He will."

The centaur gave him a curious look, but didn't say anything. Percy felt like Chiron didn't want to burst his bubble. But before he could walk away, Percy stopped him. "Chiron, can I ask you something? It has to do with something Poseidon told me."

Chiron looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Okay, Percy. What is it?"

"Poseidon told me about Thalia, a daughter of Zeus. Do you know anything about her?"

Chiron's eyes darkened. "Perhaps we shouldn't talk about this right now."

"No, Chiron! This is important. I need to know why the Big Three made the pact. Them being too powerful isn't a good enough reason. There has to be something else too! There has to be a reason behind it all."

"Sometimes knowledge can be a burden, Percy. It is better if you don't know."

"Why not?" Percy challenged. "Nothing can be worse than what I've already gone through. I lost my mom at six. I've lived at camp for almost six years, seen a dozen demigods die during border patrol, and known nothing but isolation. What is so bad that you can't tell me?"

He gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry."

"You think you're protecting me," Percy said angrily, "but all you're doing is turning me into a useless machine. Doing the same thing over and over again. The Oracle is a mummy. Children of the Big Three are too dangerous to live. Children of the gods aren't claimed. If I'm not supposed to be alive, I want to know why."

Chiron didn't say anything. He gave Percy a pained look and turned away. The demigod gave the centaur a dark look.

"Fine. Don't tell me. Don't be surprised if I'm gone within the next few days. And don't come looking for me. You're supposed to be my fatherly figure, but I guess you don't trust me enough to tell me the truth." Percy took a deep breath. "At least tell me what you know about Thalia."

Chiron sighed. "From what I know, Hades and the gods of the Underworld still do not know about the girl. Naturally, your father is angry, but he cannot risk you either, so he is keeping quiet, putting on a façade of seething anger. I don't know where Thalia is now, and satyrs are being prepared to look for her."

"Thank you!"

"Do not act rashly, Percy. Why you and Thalia should not be alive does not matter… Dark times approach, I fear, and I do not want you in the wrong place at the wrong time. I do care about you, Percy, and that is why I am not telling you why things are the way they are. I'm trying to protect you like I have protected many heroes. You walk your own path. It is not up to me to tell you everything about yourself. Sometimes, you find out along the path."

"Sure." Percy was still angry. "Whatever."

"See you at dinner."

"Yeah. Sure."

Then the son of Poseidon walked away.

* * *

In his dream, Percy was standing on a street he didn't recognize. It looked like a suburban area, but a downtown metropolis rose in the distance. It was getting dark. The sun was setting, to the west, which was toward the land. He could see the water from where he was, so he knew he was on the east coast somewhere. Mortals walked along the streets in T-shirts and shorts.

The setting seemed a lot more peaceful than some of the dreams he'd had. It was quieter and happier. But why did he have such a dreadful feeling?

He was standing there for minutes, absorbing in the scenery. He noticed young kids running around and playing happily. They looked around his age and looked much brighter than he did. When he looked in a mirror, he usually saw a dark, brooding face. He distinctly remembered his reflection from when he was a kid, especially at the aquarium when bright green eyes stared back at him as he looked into the glass. Looking at the windshield of the car in front of him, he saw a pair of ocean blue eyes staring back. Ever since realizing who his birth father was, he figured his eyes changed with his mood, like how Poseidon could be both stormy and calm. Sometimes, they would be peaceful… sea green, like the colour of the sea floor. Sometimes, they would be darker… ocean blue, like the colour of the open ocean.

Truly, there wasn't much of a difference, but he wondered if his eyes would be bright and green ever again.

After what seemed like forever, Percy noticed a commotion from down the street. There were two girls, both his age, running like they'd just seen a hellhound. As they ran past, Percy noted their appearances.

One of them was taller and more athletic. She had spiky black hair that only went down to her shoulder. Her electric blue eyes crackled with energy, and there was a splash of freckles across her nose. She was wearing a Green Day T-shirt, torn jeans, and a ruined leather jacket. Dirt was smeared across her face, as if she'd just been rolling around on the ground, and she held a bronze spear in her right hand.

Percy guessed that it was Celestial bronze because none of the mortal residents paid any attention to the weapon. Maybe they saw a large wooden staff.

The other was shorter and looked a lot less wild. She had jeans and a white T-shirt, which had been torn. From what she was doing, it was easy to tell that they had just escaped a fight. The shorter girl put on her pullover sweater to cover the tears that she'd gotten in her shirt. Percy blushed at the thought of her torn shirt. She had blonde hair and stormy grey eyes that looked like they were racing at a hundred miles an hour. The traits of a child of Athena. The only weapon he saw that she had was a worn Celestial bronze knife.

After they ran past, Percy waited to see what was chasing them. At first, there was nothing. But after a few more seconds, he saw something large and black turn the corner down the street. His eyes widened when he saw the hellhound coming. He followed the girls as they ran away from the monster.

They kept running until they made it to a beach.

"Chesapeake," the dark-haired girl said. "Come on!"

"Thalia, it's right behind us," the blonde-haired girl said urgently. "It'll find us even if we make it to the hideout."

"Annabeth, we have supplies there. How else will we get it to stop hunting us?"

"I… I don't know."

"That's a first."

Percy stared in astonishment at the scene unfolding before him. The dark-haired girl standing in front of him in his dream was Thalia, daughter of Zeus. And she was with a daughter of Athena named Annabeth. The thought itself was so paralyzing, the only thing he thought was, _Where is Chesapeake?_

The hellhound burst onto the beach, and the two girls turned in fright.

Percy had never seen a hellhound before. It was scarier than he thought it would be. Each of its fangs was like a sharpened dagger; there were at least two dozen of them. The whole beast was the size of a fully-grown rhino, and it had glowing red lava eyes.

Without a thought, the beast pounced at Annabeth.

The girl jumped to the side as Thalia raised her spear. The hellhound flew into the weapon and immediately exploded into sand. But not without a large scratch to Thalia's stomach area. Annabeth scrambled over to her friend.

"Thalia! Thalia!"

"I'm all right," Thalia grunted.

The scene with Annabeth trying to help Thalia up dissolved into a night scene with the two at a campfire. Thalia was shivering, and Annabeth was helping her dress her wound. Percy watched curiously as the two interacted. They seemed to be in a disagreement.

"We have to get to New York!" Annabeth insisted.

"No, we don't," Thalia retorted.

Annabeth frowned. "It's safer there. It's the more logical solution. We can't run forever."

"How are we supposed to find it?" Thalia shot back. "It's not like there are big signs pointing to a magical camp on Long Island somewhere. And we have to get there first. The distance from Virginia to New York by foot is a long way. Especially because monster attacks are growing every day. I think… I think Hades finally knows I exist."

"There… there has to be another child of the Big Three, Thalia," the daughter of Athena said.

"Maybe. But Hades isn't off to kill them. He's off to kill me."

"Thalia—!"

The daughter of Zeus gave her companion a harsh look. "You don't know what it feels like, Annabeth. I'm eleven, and people are already out to kill me. Monsters… creatures… You're my best friend, but you can't possibly know what it feels like to be an 'illegal' child. Just because my stupid dad is stupid Zeus." Thalia looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Sometimes I dream of a life without all of… this."

"Don't say that." Annabeth's voice was trembling a little. "I'm… I'll stay at your side no matter what."

"I wish I was never born," admitted Thalia. "Then I wouldn't have to suffer like this. People around me wouldn't have to suffer."

Percy looked down. If people knew who he was and stayed by his side, would he feel the same way as Thalia? Up to this point, he'd never really considered that. He'd been too busy with Kronos and his desire for revenge. He was angry at the gods for not paying attention to him. No one ever paid attention to him. He felt like a wall.

But if he could manipulate Thalia onto Kronos' side, that would mean another powerful demigod would be fighting with them. He wouldn't have to fight against Thalia in any battles. They would be like a team. But the blondie, Annabeth. Percy wasn't sure about her. She was pretty, but children of Athena tended to follow their mother. They wouldn't often betray the Olympians.

He wondered why he was even having this dream.

"What did Hal say?" Thalia suddenly asked. "The Great Prophecy or something?"

"Yeah. The prophecy about you," Annabeth recalled. "Or about any other child of the Big Three that happens to turn sixteen before you do. That's all I remember."

"So something happens when I turn sixteen," Thalia chuckled grimly. "I doubt it's something pleasant. And… Hal said that my future would be calm. Full of pain, but calm. Not exactly sure if that makes any sense at all, but that doesn't sound like prophecy stuff."

"He said something about family—"

"You're with me now. I'm not returning to any family. _You_ are my family."

Annabeth looked hesitant. "Hal said I would find a partner and we would stick together even when things pull us apart. But he said my partner would be a 'he.' You're not a 'he.'"

"Whatever," Thalia snapped. "He's a crazy old man who likes to make the lives of demigods miserable with his pathetic visions of some future that will never happen. There is no way we're separating."

They sat in silence for a little while.

Thalia struggled to her feet and said, "Well, good night, Annabeth."

Annabeth opened her mouth to say something but seemingly thought better of it and looked down. Thalia gave her a sad look and turned away.

Thalia said, "I hate my dad about as much as you hate yours, Annabeth. But it's not like I can do anything about that. Sometimes I guess we have to work with what we're given."

Then the dream faded.

* * *

"So the prophecy?" Percy sneered. "One you decided not to tell me about? Something is supposed to happen when I'm sixteen."

Chiron didn't cave under the intense glare of his pupil. He'd been expecting this for months now. He couldn't be hidden forever. And things couldn't be hidden from him forever. He would mature, grow up, develop a hatred for the Olympians, and then try to change his future. That's what most heroes ended up doing.

And Chiron wasn't sure how to help him. He hadn't faced something like this before.

For years, Chiron dreaded the day he would have to tell a child of the Big Three the Great Prophecy. It would only cause them more pain. This case with Percy was even worse. Anyone could see it in his expression and posture. He was truly scarred the day his mother was murdered. He had been traumatized, and in a sense, he had gone crazy.

Chiron knew the resent Percy felt toward his father was dangerous. The boy was too prideful and too unpredictable. The Olympians would have a good reason to kill the boy if they ever got the chance. Living at camp didn't work for every demigod. Many had run away. None had ever returned alive. And if Percy decided to run, the Olympians would surely catch him unless he went to the ocean, his father's domain.

Percy had pressed him for the last two weeks about this prophecy, though Chiron wasn't sure where he'd learned of it. There was something suspicious going on for sure.

"Your fate is set in stone, Percy," he said. "You understand that nothing you do will be able to change it."

"Just tell me what it is," growled the son of Poseidon.

Chiron recited it by heart: "A Half-Blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds. And see the world in endless sleep. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days. Olympus to preserve or raze."

Percy gave him a blank stare for a few seconds. Then he exploded like a plinian eruption.

"Is that what you planned for me?" he growled. "To raise me like a pig for slaughter? To keep me safe so that I can die at the right time either to save Olympus or raise it? What does raising Olympus have to do with this?"

"Raze," Chiron said. "R-a-z-e. To obliterate… destroy."

"Oh, that makes it so much better," he said sarcastically. "_A half-blood of the eldest gods_, AKA the Big Three, _shall reach sixteen against all odds_. That doesn't even make sense if you're trying to keep me here my entire life. _And see the world in endless sleep, the hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap_. Great, I'm supposed to get my stupid soul reaped. _A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze_. A choice I make will kill me and Olympus will either fall or stay. Is this what you're trying to protect me for?"

"You need training, Percy, more than ever before," the centaur said calmly. "A dark threat is rising."

"Oh, I know all about the dark threat," Percy said furiously. "Why couldn't I have died with my mom? Why do I have to be the stupid son of Poseidon? I wouldn't have had to suffer. People around wouldn't have to suffer. Endless sleep?"

"I warned you, Percy. Knowing your future is not a good thing."

Percy scowled and gave him a murderous look. "At least I know now that you and the Olympians are going to let me survive until sixteen just so I can be killed for this stupid prophecy."

"It could be Thalia."

"Then it's worse. Raising a young girl to die at the right time."

"Percy—"

"I'm tired of being useless. Isn't this what you've trained me for? To go out and succeed on a quest or something. But you want to protect me by keeping my isolated and hidden under the noses of the gods. Well here's a heads up, Chiron! Eventually they'll inhale and realize that I'm here. You can't protect me forever."

Chiron gave him a steely look. "And you're not mature enough to handle truth and knowledge."

Percy was stunned but he quickly recovered. His face twisted angrily and he stormed away. The centaur sighed in defeat. The boy was too stubborn… But Chiron knew one thing that would keep Percy in line. Percy had a kind heart, and under the layers of hatred and fury, he was a good person. He would never give up on friends and family. Chiron figured it was because of his mother, both the way she raised him and the effects of her death.

One of Percy's only close friends was Grover, a young satyr who Chiron planned to send after Thalia, and he knew, just by the way they interacted, that Percy would stick up for his friend no matter the cost.

But Chiron had priorities. He needed to get Thalia to camp. Percy's issue would have to wait.

So he turned and walked into the Big House for the night watching Percy sadly before closing the door and shutting out the night.

* * *

Percy was sitting alone on the beach on the day Luke made it back to Camp Half-Blood. He was pondering his thoughts when Grover ran up to him with the news. Even after all these years, Grover had stuck by Percy when people looked him off. Maybe it was because Grover wasn't the average satyr. He was way better.

The son of Poseidon nearly had a heart attack when he saw the condition that Luke arrived in. There was a thick, red scar that ran down the right side of his face. Most of the campers watched from afar as the Apollo kids rushed up to Luke to help him. Percy never forgot that image: the thick line that ran down his face. It was a symbol of Luke's failure, but it was also the mark of his anger. Luke had never been more furious with the Olympians. Percy could sense it even before he spoke to him.

Percy walked into the infirmary with Grover and Chiron right behind him. The Apollo campers cleared out until only Luke and the three of them remained.

"Luke, what happened?" asked a shocked Percy.

"The dragon got me," Luke said darkly. "Left this scar. I'll be fine, though. No poison."

"_Di immortales_," Grover said.

Percy frowned. "That's Latin."

"Yeah, I know."

"We speak Latin?"

"If you're smart enough," Chiron said quickly, "but that doesn't matter right now." He turned to Luke. "How did the quest go?"

"How do you think it went?" Luke spat bitterly. "I failed."

"What happened exactly?" Chiron pressed.

Reluctantly, Luke recounted the events of the quest from the moment he left to the moment he returned. There was a dark tone in his voice that was full of fear and anger as he spoke, and if Luke wasn't already one who truly resented his father, he would be now.

_Recruit him_, hissed Kronos' voice. _Hurry!_

"That's horrible!" Grover exclaimed.

Luke nodded.

"Well, I suppose you'll want to rest," Chiron concluded. "I'd recommend that you stay in the infirmary so that people don't bombard you with questions about the quest. Especially because you need to heal."

"No, it's fine, Chiron," Luke said weakly. "I can't show weakness."

Chiron gave him a wary look. "All right. You know what is best for yourself." Chiron didn't sound convinced. "See you at dinner."

The centaur trotted out. Grover nervously bit his lip. "Well, I hope you get better soon," he said timidly. "If you need anything, just ask me. I'll be there." Then he sadly exited.

"He's a good friend," Percy told Luke. "If you actually do need help, ask him."

Luke immediately stood up. He towered a good six inches over Percy. Luke was an early bloomer. "That won't matter when we're done with our business, Percy. Unless they want to join us. I… I've had the dreams. The same dreams as you've had in the past."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?" He'd never revealed Kronos to Luke. He'd only planted the ideas that his father didn't actually care for him.

"I remember distinctly you mumbling and drooling in your sleep about the Crooked One," he said. "This was back when I was beginning to have really bad nightmares. I would wake up and you would be mumbling to someone. I heard 'Crooked One' once, and I met him. He's a Titan Lord, isn't he? The King of Titans."

"Yeah. Kronos."

A cold chill passed through the room, and Percy shivered.

"I want to join," Luke said hungrily. "I want revenge. I want to tear Olympus down brick by brick for this. They send me on a stupid quest that's already been done by another demigod in the past, and it was Hercules of course. Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. And I know all I'm going to get because of this scar is pity. I don't want people's pity. I'm not a failure!"

Percy opened his mouth to criticize Luke for being cocky but he decided against it. He looked at Luke's scar.

"_He_ wants me to go on a quest," Percy revealed. "To retrieve to Golden Fleece."

Luke's eyes glinted evilly. "And _he_ wants me to steal the master bolt."

"Wait, what? That's crazy!"

"But it's something that no hero has dared to steal… ever."

"Because that's is an _insane_ idea!"

"I understand, though. It's a two part quest. You retrieve the Golden Fleece to heal him, and I take the master bolt to give him a weapon. My quest involves stealth and theft. Yours is… well, less dangerous. I assume there's a reason why you're going into the Sea of Monsters."

"You know?"

"He told me in the dream."

"What else has he told you?" Percy asked suspiciously.

Luke shrugged. "Nothing else. I swear to the Styx. Nothing you don't know… I hope. So… are we doing this? Together?"

Percy looked down. "I don't know where the Sea of Monsters is."

Luke smirked. "I asked Hermes on my way back. Bermuda Triangle. And you're smart enough to find a way."

"Bermuda Triangle," Percy mused. "That makes sense. With mortals saying lots of ships are lost there."

"I can go with you," Luke offered.

"No no." Percy held a hand up. "Only one of us can steal the bolt anyway. One has to stay behind to lie about the other's whereabouts. You know… what's the word… An alibi. Yeah, I have to create an alibi for you."

"And I'll pretend to be worried about you after you leave for the Sea of Monsters," Luke piped up. "That's brilliant. So we're doing this?"

Luke held up a hand to seal the deal.

Percy glanced at it and nodded. He took the hand and shook it. But something deep inside of him told him that this was the wrong thing to do. The Sea of Monsters was too dangerous, too turbulent. Did Kronos really expect him to survive? Besides, did he truly want Kronos' rise? He was going to help him rise, he was on his side in disliking the Olympians… but was this what his mom would want him to be?

He'd never told anybody that he sometimes went out onto the beach in the middle of the night to grieve. He cried until he couldn't cry anymore. Because the one thing that really got to him was his mother's death.

Along with the nightmares and Kronos' voice, he could remember his mom's death clearly.

Was he nuts? Probably. But he'd agreed. He was going on the quest.

* * *

**Enjoy!**

**Or not.**

**Depends.**


	6. Preparations

******Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Percy was cold and hungry. He knew leaving at night was a terrible idea. And especially leaving out of the front entrance: Half-Blood Hill. Luke had urged him to go and in that process, he'd allowed himself to be pushed out that way.

It was mainly because Luke had no idea who he really was. And he figured it was best to keep it that way until the time was right. It had taken him two days to get to Manhattan. He'd learned first-hand how dangerous this place was. He hadn't been out of Camp Half-Blood in years, and things were different from what he remembered. There were still many lights and places open, but things just felt different.

He figured it was the feeling of safety he'd felt for years at camp.

There were a whole bunch of dark, shady characters studying him as he walked past. As hectic as Manhattan must have been, it must have still been abnormal to see a kid walking alone in Manhattan in the middle of the night. He kept a hand on his pen just in case.

A creepy chill crawled up his neck as he turned a corner. He was at the entrance to an alley when a girl's voice shouted out of the darkness, "Help!"

Percy made the mistake of stopping.

"Help!"

"Who's there?" he shouted back.

"Please, help me!" The voice sounded broken and desperate, like the girl had gotten mugged or raped. "Please."

Percy walked into the alley, and a lamp light flickered on conveniently. Percy saw a young girl, maybe a bit older than him, lying on the ground with her clothes torn and bruises marking her face. She wore a skirt and a blouse. She was crying and when she looked up, she looked surprised to see him.

"You're… you're young."

Percy smiled hesitantly. "Yeah, I am. What happened?"

She sobbed. "It was this man who… who pulled me and my mom into here. He beat me up and took my mom away. I don't know what to do. I don't want to go out onto the street now. Nobody will help. They'll just look at me and do nothing."

"Humans are cruel, huh?" Percy said.

The girl nodded.

When she looked him straight in the eye, he suddenly felt pity for the girl. He could sympathize with anyone whose mother had been taken from them at a young age. He remembered being alone without knowing what to do. He remembered the heartache and the pain. Percy realized that he was trembling a little bit.

The girl stood up and approached him. She wrapped her arms around him and cried. Percy stood there, stunned, as she put her head in the crook of his neck. Then something went wrong. Percy suddenly smelled… horses. As he backed up, his knee collided with one of the girl's legs and he heard a _clang_. It was a hollow, metallic sound.

Instantly, he kicked the girl down and pulled Riptide out.

The colour drained out of the girl's skin. It turned as white as chalk, her eyes completely turned red, and her teeth grew into fangs.

"What the Hades are you?" Percy stammered. He looked down. Below her skirt, her left leg was brown and shaggy with a donkey's hoof. Her right leg was shaped like a human leg, but it was made of bronze. "Uhh, a vampire with—"

"Don't mention the legs!" the girl snapped. "It's rude to make fun! And besides…" She grinned evilly. "I'm not a vampire. That stupid legend was based on us. I am an empousa, servant of Hecate. Zeus sends his regards."

She bared her fangs and lunged at him.

He rolled to the side as she swiped at his sword. He realized she was trying to take it away. Disarm him. Monsters were definitely on the stupid side. He jumped forward and slashed down, but she rolled toward him and threw a knee into his stomach. He was glad she missed his groin. But nevertheless, the wind was knocked out of him and he dropped his sword.

The she-devil pressed him up against the wall and hissed. Her fangs were so close to him. If they got to his neck, he was as good as gone. All sympathy he had for the girl dissipated, and fury replaced that feeling. Zeus had sent this beast to kill him.

He felt a surge of energy and grabbed the empousa by the throat. Years of wrestling training against Clarisse prepared him for a lot. He managed to throw both of them to the ground, and kept his hand locked around the monster's neck. The empousa flickered back to her human image and tried to make it hard for him to focus. It didn't work.

"I'm not the Olympians' pawn," he growled to the monster. "I will not bow down to death just because Zeus wills it. They will wish they didn't do this to me. They will regret it."

She only cackled, as if he'd made a wrong judgement.

He released his anger through his fists and beat her until she lay motionless on the ground. He stumbled over to Riptide, raised it, and stabbed the beast through her chest. She crumbled into sand, and he felt even more tired than he was before.

Percy tucked his sword into his pocket. The lamp flickered off, like the electrical flow stopped.

He darted out of the alley and made his way to Central Park. There was one place that he felt like he could seek help. It would be a horrible reminder of what happened five years ago, but if he could get help in exchange, he would man up for tonight.

"The Ramble," Percy muttered. "Where's the Ramble?"

He passed by the statue of William Shakespeare. He had a hard time understanding Homer, not to mention Shakespeare. He figured the book, or play, would just explode in his hands because of all the flying letters. But there was no doubt in his mind that Shakespeare was one of Apollo's sons. Following the signs to the Bethesda Fountain, he saw another statue. This time it was Ludwig van Beethoven. Another son of Apollo.

As Percy walked through Central Park, the memories flooded back. His heart got heavier the closer he got to The Ramble. Dread settled in his bones.

He entered the woodland walk after passing the boathouse. He and his mother had taken the exact same path years ago. Looking up, he noticed a few bright stars in the sky, but not much else. There were too many building lights. Light pollution was what it was called. This was where he'd proclaimed that there were no bad people, no monsters. This was where he'd claimed that he'd protect his mother.

It was his decision that ultimately led to her death. How stupid could he be? He'd run into the forest just because he wanted to follow a shadow. He could have prevented her death.

"Frisia?" he shouted into the darkness. "Cherry? Anybody?"

Percy delved deeper into the forest. It wasn't as thick as he remembered. Maybe it was because everything was bigger when he was last here. Well, technically he was smaller before, and most things were the same size, but that didn't matter. It seemed like there were less trees.

It took a few minutes, but Percy finally found a dryad. She looked like she was waiting for him. They were far away enough from the main path that people couldn't really hear what they were saying if there _was_ anyone else in the woods. She looked almost the same as she did back then. Lots of green and brown except she looked a little older.

"Frisia?" Percy asked.

"Percy," the dryad said, smiling kindly. "How are you? How has camp been? Juniper tells me you've been growing up quite… maturely. Look at you. You're strong and fit for an eleven year old. You're going to be a handsome hero one day. What are you doing outside of camp?"

"I'm good," he laughed, which was odd in the cold darkness. "Camp's been, well, pretty good. Who's Juniper?"

"Oh, a friend I have inside camp. She's a dryad."

"Juniper tree?"

Frisia nodded.

"Where's Cherry?" Percy asked.

Frisia's expression darkened. "They cut down her tree." She said it in such a dark tone that Percy actually felt scared.

"Mortals?"

She nodded.

"Stupid mortals." Percy cursed in Ancient Greek as he turned away. "They can't just cut down trees. Trees are living things too. I'll stop them at any cost."

She gave him a grateful look. "Thank you. But there is no need. We can stand up for ourselves. Besides, I want to know the purpose for why you are out here right now instead of at camp like the past five years. Have you gotten a quest?"

He didn't lie. "Yeah."

"Wow, that's exciting! What's the quest?"

"Well, I have to go to..." He paused to try and think of a fake quest, but the look on Frisia's face threw him off. It wouldn't be fair to lie to her. "I'm going into the Bermuda Triangle. I'm going into the Sea of Monsters."

Frisia's excitement died off. She gave him a serious look. "Percy. That is a dangerous, dangerous place to be. It's full of creatures you've never seen before. Even though you're the son of Poseidon, I'm not so sure that you can handle what you might find there. It's the sea that all the ancient heroes sailed through. As adults, they barely survived. You're an eleven-year-old boy. You could die. Why are you going to the Sea of Monsters?"

"There's a prize I'm searching for, but I need your help."

"I'm not a water nymph. I can't help you."

"You _can_ help me. Tell me, using your knowledge, where to find the most helpful naiads or Nereids. I need advice on how to get into the Sea of Monsters. I just heard that it's where the Bermuda Triangle is. So somewhere off the coast of Florida. How to get in? That's the part I need to know about."

Frisia frowned. "Well, I suppose…"

"Please, help me. I'll owe you twice."

She sighed. "All right. Head to this address." She pulled a pen and wrote on his arm. "Get help from the person at this store."

It was his turn to frown. "Uh, this is in Battery Park City."

"Trust me. An old friend works there. Late night shift. And, um, if you ever need a quick ride, grab a drachma and say: _Stop, Chariot of Damnation_ in ancient Greek."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel excited about whatever the plan is."

"The furthest they'll go to is Chesapeake."

That caught Percy's attention. "Wait, Chesapeake? But that's in Virginia!"

"You're a special case. They'll make an exception. Don't use it until after you talk to the friend in the shop in Battery Park City. I… I can't tell you any more than that. At least, about the quest."

"How do you know all that?" Percy asked. "It's like someone told you about what's happening."

She winced. "There is a reason for everything, Percy. Make sure you know the purpose of your quest before you begin. It might not serve the purpose it seems to serve." Suddenly she tensed up as if a cold chill passed over her. "I—I have to go now. I'll see you sometime in the future. Promise me you'll visit me."

"But—"

"Promise me," she insisted. She looked like she'd just seen a ghost.

"I… I promise."

"Thank you. Goodbye, Percy. See you in the near future."

Then she snapped her fingers and disappeared.

* * *

Sweet on America apparently had two locations. The one in Grand Central Station that Percy's mother used to work at. And one in Battery Park City, where Frisia had said a supposed friend worked. He knew he barely knew Frisia aside from the one time she'd helped him get to camp, but he figured she would be friendly enough.

It was a gut instinct, and so far he'd survived using his gut instincts. He'd avoided most monsters, aside from that empousa, just by trusting his personal judgement. If the Athena campers were right, trusting that would only get him so far. They were probably right.

He arrived quickly enough. Manhattan was a lot less infested with giant hellhounds than the countryside of Long Island was, so it was definitely an easier trip. He fought off the urge to collapse and fall asleep before entering the store.

The smell of candy suddenly shot through his nose, and Percy sighed happily. Percy remembered the blue, white and red uniform that his mother had and its smell. Lots and lots of candy. Percy found himself feeling wistful and turned to the front counter. Standing there reading a book was a familiar looking girl who looked ten times as tired as he did. There were huge bags under her eyes, but she looked calm.

Then she looked up.

Percy grinned and ran to the counter. "Rose!"

"Percy?" Rose asked in shock as she closed her book. "What are you…? Oh gods, I'm glad to see you!"

He laughed. _An old friend works there. Late night shift._ It was Rose, the former head counselor of the Hermes cabin. "I can't believe you work here! I thought you were in college or university or something? Why are you working at a candy shop?"

Rose sighed in relaxation. "Well, it's summer, for one, so no school. Second, I thought I should earn some money. My mom isn't doing too well, and I'm going to work to help her. You know, get away from the demigod life. I mean, I still have to kill monsters that attack me—you wouldn't believe what happened like half an hour ago—but I can still survive. Though… things have been getting a little strange…"

"Strange?"

"Something just feels different."

He averted his eyes and noticed the book she had just been reading. "What's that?"

"Textbook for next year," she said. "I'm studying up because I'm going for a Master's degree. It's harder because I have dyslexia."

"What university did you get into?"

"NYU."

"And you've gotta study everything in English?"

"Yup. I'd been taught for years how to read in English by, uh, Nathan."

Nathan wasn't just a touchy subject for him. He remembered Rose telling him once that they were dating and had been dating since they were fourteen. She admitted she loved him, and when he died the summer after his second year in university, she left camp for good. Percy figured it was too painful of a reminder.

Would he ever find someone like that? Or would he destroy the world before that could happen?

"Yeah… yeah."

They stood in silence for a couple minutes. A man entered the store and bought a large bag of Twizzlers. He was wearing a New York City Marathon T-shirt and nylon running shorts. He was slim and fit, with salt-and-pepper hair and a sly smile. He looked kind of familiar, but Percy couldn't figure out why. Rose was gaping at the man for unexplainable reason, but the man didn't seem to pay attention. He paid for his Twizzlers.

"Thanks, Rose," the man said.

"Uh… No problem?"

The man turned to Percy and looked him up and down. "This boy looks malnourished. You know, I'd give him some multivitamins if I were you. For free. Get the homeless off the streets and back into everyday society, right? I'll see you next week, Rose."

As suddenly as he'd walked in and bought the candy, he was gone, leaving the two of them alone once again. Percy glanced at Rose, who still looked like she'd been shocked with a Taser, and asked, "Who was that?"

She didn't answer.

"Rose?"

She snapped back to attention. "Huh? What?"

"Who was that?"

"Oh, just a weekly customer," she said with a fake smile. He'd been around Hermes kids too long to not be able to detect lies. He felt like something big just happened but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly _had_ happened. It was as if it was right under his nose.

Rose reached under the counter and pulled out a bottle of weird shaped candies. Percy grabbed the bottle and saw Minotaur-shaped candies, Fury-shaped candies, and other candies in the form of different monsters. The label read: HERMES' CHEWABLE VITAMINS—Nine essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and everything you need to be yourself.

"Wait a minute, I can read this," Percy realized. "And the man…" He looked up at Rose. "Was that your dad?"

She glanced worriedly at the door. "Yeah. I don't know what's happening right now, but you're on a quest. There's no other reason you would be out here. These vitamins are vital in helping you through most situations. They _will_ run out and they don't last forever so use them wisely. I've noticed some really weird things lately. Whatever you're doing, make sure it's worth it, because whatever is changing is on its way. Be careful out there."

Percy frowned. She sounded exactly like Frisia.

"Now go!" she ordered. "It's not safe here anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just go!"

What was happening? Why did she suddenly want him to go?

"If my dad was here, that means something is up. I've had dreams…" She looked lost in thought for a moment. "The point _is_ it's not safe for you to be here anymore. Besides, these vitamins… I've been told not to give this to anyone unless they're really in danger."

"What? Did your dad say that?" Percy asked.

"Who else would give me these?!" Rose pointed to the bottle of vitamins. "There are _a lot_ of wandering demigods. They need free food and stuff like that. The only reason why I work here is because demigods need a place to restock on supplies. The last time someone stayed for long, they were dead within minutes. 'kay? That's what's been strange. More demigods around New York than usual. More dying than I've ever seen before."

Percy looked around. He couldn't see any threats.

"It's like monsters have become more present in New York, like they're hunting for someone."

He raised his eyebrows. "Hunting for someone? Like… someone sent them on a mission. Someone sent monsters?"

She nodded.

"But that would be Hades." Percy's thoughts lingered to Thalia. "Ohhh… Oh no. That's not good. That's not good at all. Is she in New York already?"

Rose demanded, "What?"

"There's this daughter of Zeus," Percy rambled. "She's… her name's Thalia. I don't know if she's in New York, but if all these monsters are here, Hades probably sent them to hunt after Thalia. To kill her. He probably knows she's alive. Oh gods."

The gears turned quickly in Rose's head. "You have to get her to camp. Promise me."

He opened his mouth to agree, but then he remembered the quest he was on. What had Luke said about Grover earlier? _That won't matter when we're done with our business, Percy. Unless they want to join us._

Thalia's death would be good, right? Then the prophecy would lie in _his_ hands. He could control the decision he made.

_If_ he made it to sixteen, he thought grimly.

But then if she could survive until he returned from the Sea of Monsters, then she would prove her worth as a powerful daughter of Zeus. He would save her, bring her to camp and manipulate her. If she survived that long, she would be a good use for Kronos.

His heart dropped. Even if that happened, he would be going against his own word. There was a good chance that he was going to die before he turned sixteen and so inadvertently, he would be raising her for slaughter. Besides, who would Kronos pick? He had to kill one to complete the prophecy. Percy needed Hades to kill Thalia to relieve him of his guilt. He couldn't bear to watch an innocent girl die so he could die later. And he couldn't bear to put an innocent girl in the position he was in.

"I'll… I'll see what I can do," Percy told Rose.

"Good. Go."

Percy squeezed his eyes tightly. Then he jogged off with his vitamins and out onto the street. He made it all the way down the block when he saw the hellhound. He froze as the monster crashed into the store. He grimaced, but there was nothing he could do. It was just like Nathan. A close friend, who'd helped him grow up, was going to be dead.

But to the rest of the world, it was just another demigod. To the rest of the world, it didn't matter.

* * *

**Hey everybody,**

**I put a poll on my profile page, so vote! Vote! Vote! Tell me what I should do. Anyway, this chapter is another build-up chapter. I'm slowly guiding Percy to certain death. And don't worry about the confusing events. They will be cleared up later.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**SharkAttack719**


	7. The Sea of Monsters

**********Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"_Stêthi_," Percy said in ancient Greek. "_Ô hárma diabolês_."

He threw his golden drachma, with Zeus' likeness stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other, into the street. But instead of clattering on the asphalt, the drachma sank right through and disappeared. Percy hoped Frisia's advice would work.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, where the coin had fallen, the asphalt darkened. It melted into a rectangular pool about the size of a parking space—bubbling red liquid like blood. Then a car erupted from the ooze.

It was a taxi, all right, but unlike every other taxi in New York, it wasn't yellow. It was smoky grey. It looked like it was woven out of smoke, like you could walk right through it. There were words printed on the door—something like GYAR SSIRES—but Percy found it hard to read with his dyslexia.

The passenger window rolled down, and an old woman stuck her head out. She had a mop of grizzled hair covering her eyes, and she spoke in a weird mumbling way.

"Passage? Passage?"

"Um, Chesapeake. Virginia."

"No!" the old woman screeched. "Only the Greater New York and surrounding communities. We don't serve outside of this area!"

Percy took a deep breath. "But Frisia told me—"

"Frisia?" the woman screamed. "Who are you, demigod?" The face stared at him hard. Suddenly, she gasped and said, "Get in the back. You're going to Chesapeake."

Giving them a cautious look, he got into the back. The interior was also smoky grey, but it felt solid enough. The seat was cracked and lumpy. Then he saw the old lady driving… But there wasn't just one lady. There were three, all crammed in the front seat, each with stringy hair covering their eyes, bony hands, and a charcoal-coloured sackcloth dress.

The one driving said, "Haha! Son of Poseidon on a suicide quest. No wonder Zeus is letting him go."

Before he could entirely process what she had said, she floored the accelerator, and his head slammed against the backrest. A pre-recorded voice came on over the speaker: _Hi, this is Ganymede, cup-bearer to Zeus, and when I'm out buying wine for the Lord of the Skies, I always buckle up!_

Percy looked down and found a large black chain instead of a seat belt. Better safe than sorry.

He buckled up.

They were speeding down the Lincoln Tunnel when Percy recovered his bearings. He looked at the trio of ladies in the front and asked, "Wait, what do you mean Zeus is letting me go?"

"Don't tell him, Anger," said the lady in the middle. "He's on the tipping scale, you know. Don't want to alert the gods."

The woman in the driver's seat cackled. "Tell him, Anger. No one hears anything on the Gray Sisters Taxi, Tempest. We'll be fine."

"Wasp is right," Anger told Tempest. "Let me tell him. Well... Zeus knows about you, hero. But he's busy dealing with his own offspring. He decided to let you go on your quest."

Wasp said, "Yes. We are wise. We know things! We know every street in Manhattan. The capital of Nepal!"

"The location you seek!" Tempest added.

"What?" Percy said. "What location? I'm not seeking any—"

"Sea of Monsters," she interrupted. "30, 31, 75, 12!"

She belted it out like a quarterback calling a play.

"What do you mean?" he said. "That makes no sense!"

"We know your betrayal," Anger said mysteriously. "And we know your betrayer. We've had famous people in this cab, Percy. Perseus! You remember him?"

"Don't remind me!" Wasp wailed. "And we didn't have a cab back then, you old bat. That was three thousand years ago!"

"How do you know who I am?" Percy demanded. He was beginning to feel carsick, and he was already freaked out. "How do you know I'm betraying people? Who's going to betray me?"

"Time will tell." Tempest laughed hysterically. "Only time will well."

"If you know stuff, tell me how Frisia knew what to do," he said. "She looked like someone told her what to say."

"Some things must stay secrets," teased Wasp.

They were speeding down Interstate 95 at what seemed to be 300 miles per hour. But to the Gray Sisters, it seemed like they were on cruise control, casually speeding down the highway. That pretty much summed up the speed of the thoughts that were spinning through his head.

Golden Fleece. Sea of Monsters. Bermuda Triangle. Frisia. Rose. Hermes' multivitamins. Empousa. Betrayals and betrayers. Kronos.

Somehow, these were all connected in a giant scheme. Percy could sense it. He just couldn't understand the reasoning behind the events, and how they fit together. It was like he was trying to fit English words in a sentence on a piece of paper. The thoughts were flying around like crazy bats. They seemed to move the same way English words did when he tried reading them.

Percy wondered if the quest would have been easier if Luke had accompanied him. Percy remembered how the empousa laughed when he told her that he wouldn't be the Olympians' pawn, like he'd made a wrong judgement. Empousa were servants of Hecate, the goddess of magic. Who would she serve other than the Olympians? The Gray Sisters told him that Zeus wasn't after him. Who was more trustworthy? The Gray Sisters or an empousa?

When he was ten, Poseidon told him that nobody knew about him, and those that did never bothered to tell the likes of Zeus and Hades. Was that all a lie to cover up for his mistakes? Was that a lie to make Percy feel safer?

Percy hated his dad for leaving him like this. For giving him this life. He hated his dad for breaking the oath just to be with his mom. Why couldn't they have not slept with each other? Poseidon wouldn't have broken his oath, his mother wouldn't be dead, and he wouldn't be travelling down the east coast of the United States alone on a quest to help a dark Titan lord to rise for revenge on the Olympians.

A dark guilt sank in his stomach. Did Poseidon know what he was up to and why he was up to it?

Percy remembered a dark story that Luke once told him. The story of Luke's childhood. Percy saw the way Luke trembled when he spoke about his own mother, who had somehow gone crazy. Luke didn't know how, and Percy didn't want to know how, but Luke told him that she would always ramble on about his fate one day. And how Hermes knew what was going to happen but refused to tell him.

If Poseidon knew what he was doing, would he kill him once he stepped into the water? Or would he allow Percy to help Kronos rise? Percy looked out into the dark night. Cars zipped by as the Gray Sisters Taxi zipped past Philadelphia.

Neither Frisia nor Rose were acting normally back in New York. It was bizarre. There was definitely a secret behind all of this, otherwise Wasp wouldn't have hinted at that, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Hermes had showed up at Sweet on America. Did the Olympians have anything to do with it?

A connection clicked in Percy's head. Hermes knew Luke's future. Was it possible that, since Percy was working closely with Luke for Kronos, that Hermes saw parts of Percy's future?

But at camp, everyone always emphasized that the gods could never interfere with their children's quests. Why would Hermes help him?

Half an hour later, he was in Chesapeake, Virginia. The Gray Sisters wished him good luck and told him that "even the best heroes require aid—sometimes from friends; sometimes from enemies." He wasn't sure what that meant, but he thanked the sisters and watched as they sped off north, back to New York.

Percy turned and gasped. He was at the same beach as Thalia and Annabeth in a dream he'd had a long time ago.

A sign to his right said VIRGINIA BEACH, though it took him a minute to decipher it. He wondered if the camping area they'd set up was nearby. He spent two hours looking before he finally found the hut. It was carefully hidden under a patch of brambles, camouflaged into the ground. He moved aside a woven circle of branches, like a door, and looked inside.

It was big enough for two people. The walls were woven from plant material, like a Native American hut, but they looked kind of water proof. Stacked in the corner was everything a demigod could want for a campout—sleeping bags, blankets, an ice chest, and a kerosene lamp. There were bronze javelin tips, a quiver full of arrows, an extra sword, and a box of ambrosia. The place smelled musty, like it had been vacant for a long time.

"A half-blood hideout," Percy grinned. "Those two are amazing."

He walked over to the ice chest, hoping that some food was in there. But instead, all he found was a tape recorder. Frowning, he hit the play button, and suddenly the voices of two girls filled the room.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Thalia's voice spoke. "Why would we record this?"

"In case another demigod finds this place, we can tell them how to use it efficiently to survive," Annabeth's voice countered. "I mean, with the amount of demigods we've run into, dead or alive, there's bound to be someone that'll find this place. Besides, we'll be well gone by the time they get here."

"Fine, fine," Thalia said. "Anyway, whoever found this… hello! Welcome to days of our hard work that you're going to use. I swear, if you trash it, I will come back, find you and haunt you until you die."

Percy chuckled. Thalia seemed a lot more aggressive than he remembered from his dream.

Annabeth went on to describe the place and how to use it well and blah blah blah. After the explanation, Annabeth said, "Well, I'm going to go fetch some food for us while Thalia finishes up this recording."

Percy heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Thalia was quiet.

"Well, um, hi. I'm Thalia, daughter of Zeus, and currently being hunted down by Hades, the lord of the dead. You know… your everyday routine." She sighed sadly. "Sometimes I wish my father never sired me. Sometimes I wish I could just be a normal demigod. Have a parent like Athena or something. Nobody really knows what it's like to be a child of the Big Three. Nobody that I know, at least. Annabeth is the smartest, most level-headed girl I know, but even she doesn't know what it's like. If… if whoever is listening to this, by some miracle, is a son or daughter of Poseidon or Hades or Zeus, tell yourself: don't you ever feel angry with your dad sometimes? Don't you wish you could just yell at them or something?"

"All the time," Percy muttered.

"I get angry with my dad sometimes. I resent him. I feel like I'm just a tool or a pawn or something. Waiting for the king to put me up as a sacrifice, right? I mean, sure they're gods, but can't they just send a message once in a while, even if it's just to claim me? I've never talked to my father. I've never seen him. Not even in dreams."

She paused. And Percy looked down. He'd seen his father, and Poseidon had claimed him as his son. _You are my son, whether you like it or not_, Poseidon had said.

"At the same time, I want my dad to notice me. I want him to be proud of me. I want him to realize that I'm more than just another one of his random children. I want him to respect me as a human and to be at my side. I know that some of that is not possible, but I have dreams too. And those feelings are more powerful than any resentment I feel."

Percy stared at the quiver of arrows in the corner.

"I don't want to be known as the selfish daughter of Zeus who would do anything to get revenge. I have friends, a close friend, and I won't let her get hurt because I resent my dad. Being with people helps me relax and forgive. Forgiving is harder than getting revenge because you have to put the past behind you, and as a stubborn person, that's hard for me. The gods are busy. I understand that. Maybe I want them to communicate with me more often. But I will never betray Olympus. If I find this myself in the future, I want you to look at yourself, future me, and decide whether the choice you made was worth it or not."

Right then, Annabeth entered. Percy shut off the tape recorder and squeezed it with a fist.

He could almost see the scene unfold in his head. Annabeth would have walked in and given Thalia some food and Thalia would keep her feelings hidden. She'd tell Annabeth some sort of excuse or lie to prevent her from finding out what she said. They would stop the recording before putting the tape in the ice box, and then they would leave. And Thalia would leave her personal thoughts behind to either be found by another demigod, by herself in the future, or be destroyed.

Percy angrily threw the recorder at the wall. He found himself torn because of the girl's words. She sounded like a more reasonable version of himself. He knew why he was doing all this. He had no real friends. Everyone had just been a temporary replacement for the hole in his heart left by his mother, a woman who would never have done anything bad. She'd never approve of what he was doing.

So was he going to continue? Kronos could send the order to kill him at any moment.

Could Camp Half-Blood use the Golden Fleece? If he succeeded, he could bring it to camp and then turn sides. But what would Luke say? Luke would be furious and probably backstab him. Other than Grover, Luke was the closest friend he had at camp.

Percy shook his head. He would make his decision later. His priority was getting the Golden Fleece. The only problem was getting there. He didn't know where it was… or did he?

What had Tempest said? 30, 31, 75, 12.

Those were coordinates. 30 degrees, 31 minutes north. 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. They had to be. Those coordinates were out in the Bermuda Triangle somewhere. Percy remembered a class he'd taken back at Camp Half-Blood with Nathan before he died. There were two ways to measure coordinates: decimal coordinates or decimal and minute coordinates. New York was about 40 degrees, 42 minutes north, and 74 degrees, 0 minutes west.

All he needed was a GPS and he was set. Percy looked back at the ice box. "Don't worry, Thalia. I know what it feels like. And I'll be back to rescue you. I promised Rose. I don't break my promises."

* * *

Percy forgot that the hut was on the edge of a river, so naturally, he ran straight out into the water. The current washed him toward the ocean. Less than a minute later, he was thrown out the river's mouth, and salt water washed over him. He felt an energy rush, and suddenly numbers flew right into his head.

"37 degrees, 34 minutes north!" he shouted. "76 degrees, 15 minutes west!" He shook his head. "Whoa. How did I know that?"

Then he looked up. He was in Chesapeake Bay. Brackish water was what a mix of freshwater and salt water was called. He could feel it. He knew it was because of his dad that he could tell what the coordinates were. But it only worked in salt water. That was good to know.

Percy began swimming out toward the sea. He used the currents around him to propel himself forward. Soon enough, he found himself back at Virginia Beach. He climbed up onto shore and looked out across the ocean. One problem was fixed. All he needed now was some way to get to the Sea of Monsters.

Percy made his way back to the beach. He stood in the waves wondering how he was going to get into the Sea of Monsters. He remembered the Gray Sisters saying something like "even the best heroes require aid—sometimes from friends; sometimes from enemies."

What did that mean? Friends were people who liked each other in a friendly way. Enemies were people who were actively opposed to him. But maybe friends and enemies weren't supposed to be taken literally.

Friends could mean those who he liked and enemies could mean those who he disliked. Percy hated the figurative language of Greek mythology. It was too hard to think which one was which.

"I need help," Percy muttered. "Someone please help me. I need to get into the Sea of Monsters and I don't know how."

They were empty words lost on a regular summer night, but Percy could dream. He needed a boat or something. Hephaestus worked with machines. Maybe he could pray to Hephaestus. Hermes was the god of travellers. Maybe he could pray to Hermes. But this was the territory of Poseidon. And that was the one god Percy didn't want to pray to. It was partially because he wasn't too fond of the god, but it was also because he was afraid that Poseidon would realize what he was up to. He knew the god would try to stop him, and that argument would only end in hatred and tears.

He took a shaky breath. "Please, Poseidon. I need passage."

For a while, nothing happened. Percy figured the Sea God hadn't heard him. But then something appeared in the water a hundred feet away. It moved fast toward the shore, like a claw ripping through the ocean.

As it neared the beach, the surf burst apart and the head of a white stallion reared out of the waves.

It was a beautiful creature. As it pulled itself onto the sand, Percy saw that it was only a horse in the front; its back half was a silvery fish body, with glistening scales and a rainbow tail fin. It was like a… a rainbow fish-horse thing.

_My lord_, the creature said.

"Lord? What?" Percy was too busy staring at it in awe. "You're… what are you?"

_Hippocampus, lord_, the hippocampus said. It was a boy's voice. _That's what we're called_.

"Isn't that a part of the human brain?" Percy asked.

_A what?_

"Never mind. Jeez, did Poseidon send you? You're beautiful… uh, handsome, I mean."

The hippocampus whinnied in appreciation. _Thank you_.

Percy mounted the hippocampus and patted his mane. "Come on. Let's go. Sea of Monsters. You know where that is, right?"

The animal nickered. Then he plunged into the ocean and sped off like Jet Skis.

Percy felt the exhilarating rush of wind fly by his face as the hippocampus sped southeast.

Percy yawned and looked up at the sky. The moon glistened high. There was still a lot of night left. If he wasn't so tired, he would have slapped himself across the face. He just left a place with the perfect supplies for a night shelter. He sighed and went back to the hut to rest for the night. He fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

* * *

In his dream, he was standing on a beautiful island in the middle of the sea. It had green fields and tropical fruit trees and white beaches. There was a beautiful ravine down the path, and in the meadow at its base, several dozen sheep were milling around. They looked peaceful enough, but they were huge—the size of hippos.

Percy turned around and gasped. At the top of the path, near the edge of the canyon, was a massive oak tree with a dazzling gold fleece glittering in its branches.

The Golden Fleece's power was vibrant. Even in his dream he could tell this whole island was feeding on its magic. How did it get into the Sea of Monsters? That had been a question that had sat in the back of his mind the entire time. Hadn't the Argonauts and Jason taken it back to Iolcus?

Percy turned back to the meadow at the bottom of the ravine and saw a deer emerge from the bushes. It trotted into the meadow, probably looking for grass to eat, when the sheep all bleated at once and rushed the animal. It happened so fast that the deer stumbled and was lost in a sea of wool and trampling hooves.

Grass and tufts of fur flew into the air.

A second later the sheep all moved away, back to their regular peaceful wanderings. Where the deer had been was a pile of clean white bones.

Percy stared in horror. He had to get through that to get the Golden Fleece?

Across the bridge that crossed the chasm, a huge boulder moved. Percy realized it was the door to a cave. A huge Cyclops stepped out. He looked like he was at least fifteen feet tall. The only clothing he wore was a faded purple T-shirt that said, "GRAND SHEEP EXPO 2001." The one-eyed giant climbed across the bridge of the chasm, and Percy got a closer look. It was a horrible sight. The Cyclops had jagged yellow teeth and gnarled hands as big as his entire body. He looked fat and overweight, and his eye was milky, like someone had stabbed it.

"Any new satyrs caught yet, sheepies?" the monster shouted.

He trampled down toward the sheep, who flocked all around him. Percy was hoping they'd eat him too, but unfortunately, they didn't. Suddenly, the Cyclops reached into the trees of the ravine and pulled out a satyr whose leg had been bitten off. Somehow, the sheep had enough intelligence to injure and not kill the satyrs. The satyr was unconscious or dead. Probably the latter because it didn't look like anyone bothered to bandage up his leg.

"Satyrs good eating!" said the monster before he began eating the satyr, raw and piece by piece.

Percy wanted to stop watching, but he couldn't. His dream eyes were wide open and would not close. He figured that satyr used to be at Camp Half-Blood and was just trying to find Pan like everyone else. The Golden Fleece was a dangerous weapon. If it had the power to lure satyrs out into the open ocean and keep this island beautiful and clean, it definitely had the power to heal Kronos.

Percy swallowed. That was a horrifying thought. A single item that had the power to mend a Titan who'd been sliced into a gazillion pieces.

"I am Polyphemus!" bellowed the Cyclops. "Poseidon's favorite Cyclops son! Thank you for giving me tasty treats to eat, father!"

The name clicked in Percy's head. Polyphemus was the name of the Cyclops that Odysseus had run into. And being the arrogant, cocky hero he was, Odysseus told the Cyclops his real name after tricking him into believing he was Nobody and stabbing him in the eye. Poseidon unleashed his wrath on Odysseus for the insult on his son, and it took Odysseus ten years to finally reach Ithaca after seven years of sleeping with a sorceress Calypso and three years of wandering after the Trojan War.

Percy wondered if Poseidon would strike _him_ down if he fought Polyphemus.

"Bye, sheepies!" said Polyphemus. "See you tomorrow. Bye bye!"

Then he headed off back to his cave and shut the boulder behind him. The dream faded, and Percy woke with a start.

The more he learned about the quest, the less he wanted to go. But he felt the knife pressed to the back of his neck again. It was cold, sharp and deadly. Kronos wouldn't hesitate to get rid of him if he wasn't useful anymore. He had to do it. There was no other choice.

* * *

_The entrance to the Sea of Monsters_, the hippocampus said. _Well, one of them. Wanna do a backflip before entering your doom?_

"Thanks for the offer but no thanks." Percy stared out at the dark smudges in the distance. "So which entrance is this?"

Then the smudges came into focus. To the north, a huge mass of rock rose out of the sea—an island with cliffs at least a hundred feet tall. About half a mile south of that, the other patch of darkness was a storm brewing. The sky and sea boiled together in a roaring mass.

_Scylla and Charybdis_, said the hippocampus. _The only way into the Sea of Monsters other than the Clashing Rocks. I'd rather be sucked up in a whirlpool than crushed to death._

"Why do you keep saying that?" Percy asked. "Can't you at least be positive?"

_When you are positive_, came the reply.

The son of Poseidon scowled. He changed the topic. "So, the story is that Charybdis sucks up the sea and spits it back out again, right?"

The hippocampus whinnied in agreement.

"And Scylla lives in those caves waiting for prey to come so her snaky heads can eat."

Another whinny of agreement.

"Great, it's death either way," he mumbled.

The hippocampus nickered, clearly happy he had been right about the negativity.

As they got closer to the monsters, the sound of Charybdis got louder and louder—a horrible wet roar like the galaxy's biggest toilet being flushed. Every time Charybdis inhaled, the current pulled them toward the whirlpool. Every time she exhaled, they rose in the water and were buffeted by ten-foot waves.

"Stop for a second," Percy told the hippocampus.

They stopped about two miles out from the monsters. Percy took the time to time the whirlpool. The best he could figure, it took Charybdis about three minutes to suck up and destroy everything within a half-mile radius. To avoid her, he'd have to skirt right next to Scylla's cliffs. And as bad as Scylla might've been, the cliffs were looking awfully good to him.

Maybe if he was a son of Zeus… then he would've gone for Scylla. As a son of Poseidon, his best bet was Charybdis.

_Practice your powers in secret and prepare_, Poseidon said in their first meeting. Percy was kind of glad he followed that advice.

He closed his eyes and focused on the sea. He remembered that the ocean was restless and powerful. It wouldn't often calm down. That was probably the hardest thing to be able to accomplish. He just needed to… bend it to his will somehow.

The tug in his gut was really strong. The longer he tried to concentrate, the more he strained. Water was a powerful force; he knew it. It flowed freely and smoothly, yet if it chose to be, it could be turbulent and forceful. Percy'd learned easily that water was the source of most, if not all, life on the planet. Other than the fact that naiads were pretty, humans settled along rivers because the naiads helped them live and survive.

Just like his eyes.

And Poseidon embodied the most moody of all sources of water. Percy was pretty much trying to control part of his dad's essence by trying to control the water. It was a weird thought.

"Into the whirlpool," Percy said, keeping his eyes closed. "Let's do this."

He tried hard not to think about the giant mouth that awaited them at the center of the whirlpool, though it wasn't that hard; just concentrating on controlling the water was enough.

The sudden pull when he and the hippocampus slid into the whirlpool nearly knocked him off the creature. His eyes opened in fright for a split second, and that was enough time for him to see Charybdis.

Through a swirl of mist and water, only a few hundred yards away, he saw the monster. In the middle of the maelstrom was an oddly peaceful thing: a reef—a black crag of coral with a fig tree clinging to the top. But anchored to the reef just below the waterline was the worst part. It was an enormous mouth with slimy lips and mossy teeth the size of rowboats. Worse, the teeth had braces, bands of corroded scummy metal with pieces of fish and driftwood and floating garbage stuck between them.

And that was also enough to make Percy feel a little sick. All she'd done for centuries was eat without brushing after her meals. The entire sea around her was sucked into the void—sharks, schools of fish, a giant squid. In a few seconds, he would be next.

He shut his eyes as he prepared to die. The frightening sight, and the roaring power of the water swirling around him… There was no way he could control the water in the whirlpool. It was too chaotic… too noisy. Charybdis was too powerful. The waves wouldn't respond.

They were getting closer to the mouth. 50 yards. 40… 30…

Suddenly, the mouth snapped shut. The sea died to absolute calm. Water washed over Charybdis.

"Oh, thank Tyche," Percy managed, before the mouth exploded open.

Just as quickly as her mouth had closed, she opened it and spat out a wall of water, ejecting everything inedible. So basically, the garbage that had been stuck to her teeth.

Percy was thrown forward, into the Sea of Monsters, on a wave that looked forty feet high. But the force of the wall of water had thrown him off his hippocampus, which he couldn't see anymore. He was hurtling toward the cliffs on the opposite side of the strait, but definitely not far enough to collide with the wall. He was twenty feet above sea level when he spotted his hippocampus, whinnying and flailing in the water pushed him away from the Sea of Monsters.

"Rainbow!" Percy shouted, having quickly thought of a random name. It was stupid, but it was the first word that came to mind when he thought of the beautiful hippocampus. "Rainbow!"

Suddenly, he felt sharp teeth imbedded in his left shoulder. He screamed in pain as he began to fly straight up, the wind whistling in his ears, the side of the cliff right next to his face.

Instinctively, Percy pulled out Riptide and swung it behind him. He managed to jab Scylla in her beady yellow eye. She grunted and dropped him.

He free fell into the ocean and was stunned to see that he was still alive, breathing, and other than his shoulder, well. But Charybdis wasn't done vomiting up her meal yet. The giant wave slammed into him, and he felt himself wash away.

Spinning in all directions, his head hit something hard.

The last thing he remembered was sinking in a cold, blue sea, the rushing currents of the water propelling him further into the Sea of Monsters, and the feeling that this was only the beginning of the pain and suffering. That there would be more to come.

* * *

**I want to say a quick happy belated Independence Day to my American readers, and a belated happy Canada Day to Canadian readers. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if there are any grammatical errors, I'd be grateful if you could point them out for me. Thanks.**

**SharkAttack719**


	8. Strength

**************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Percy was amazed that he hadn't been eaten by a random sea serpent that was hungry and wanted lunch.

He head was still ringing from the whole Scylla and Charybdis incident, and he figured he hit a rock or something. He knew that would probably give him a concussion, though, with the force he'd hit the thing. Whatever it was it hurt to think about it. He was floating through the ocean, face down, with the steaming rays of the sun glaring down at him. He didn't want to move. He felt calm just floating in the sea. But against his desire, he lifted his head.

Now that he was in the Sea of Monsters, the water glittered a more brilliant green, a colour somewhere in between the bright green fields and dark-leaved trees at Camp Half-Blood. The wind smelled fresh and salty, but it carried a strange metallic scent, too—as if a thunderstorm was coming. Or something even more dangerous. He knew where he needed to go. He knew he was exactly one hundred thirteen nautical miles west by northwest of his destination. But this was still the Sea of Monsters. If legends about the Sea of Monsters were true, it was a dangerous place. He wished he'd looked up about it more at camp.

Too late now, he thought miserably.

He floated for hours, and occasionally he would submerge himself so he'd refrain from getting sunburnt. There were tons of fish swimming around… like regular, oceanic fish. It was weird because he'd expected, in the Sea of Monsters, to have an ocean full of weird aquatic monsters. But he only saw one. He saw a spiky green dorsal fin about fifteen feet long curl out of the water before disappearing. Fortunately for him, the monster didn't eat him.

The sun was beginning its descent from atop the sky when he finally hit land. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed when suddenly he felt like he was being pushed into something soft and grainy. He put his hands down and immediately felt sand. He shot straight up in alarm and turned around.

"Oh my gods," Percy muttered.

He blinked and found himself on a beautiful island. It looked like a giant resort. There were dazzling white buildings everywhere, and he saw a small mountain rising from what he assumed was the center of the island. The beach he was on was lined with palm trees, and barely twenty feet away was a harbour filled with a strange assortment of boats. It was a tropical paradise.

He blinked again, and suddenly a lady with a clipboard appeared in front of him.

She looked formal—blue business suit, perfect makeup, hair pulled back in a ponytail. She shook his hand and gave him an analytical stare. She had dark eyes and dark hair. She reminded him a bit of Brooklyn, though she was a lot slimmer and a lot prettier.

"Welcome," she greeted happily, "to C.C.'s Resort and Spa!"

Percy looked at the boats in port. The boats… and other things he saw fit the expectation he had for the Sea of Monsters more than the island did. There was something odd about the place, because along with a bunch of pleasure yachts, there was a U.S. Navy submarine, several dugout canoes, and an old-fashioned three-masted sailing ship. There was a helipad with a "Channel Five Fort Lauderdale" helicopter on it, and a short runway with a Learjet and a propeller plane that looked like a World War II fighter.

His hand crept to his pockets. A bad feeling crept up his spine.

He sighed internally when he felt both Riptide and the bottle of multivitamins in his pockets.

"Is this your first time with us?" the clipboard lady inquired.

Percy hesitated for a second and looked around. He decided to nod. "Um, yeah."

"First—time—at—spa," the lady said as she wrote on her clipboard. "Let's see…" She looked him up and down critically. "Complete makeover for you… as always."

"What?" he asked.

She was too busy jotting down notes to answer. "Right!" she said with a breezy smile. "Well, I'm sure C.C. will want to speak with you personally before the luau. Come, please."

Percy knew this was a trap, but he'd been floating in the ocean for most of the day. He was tired, hungry, and the word luau put him into a trance. His stomach sat up on its hind legs and begged like a dog.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," he muttered.

Of course it could, but he followed the lady. He made sure to keep his hands in his pockets. But the farther they wandered into the resort, the more he forgot about the magical defences he had stashed.

The place was amazing. There was white marble and blue water everywhere he looked. Terraces climbed up the side of the mountain, with swimming pools on every level, connected by waterslides and waterfalls and underwater tubes people could swim through. Fountains sprayed water into the air, forming impossible shapes, like flying eagles and galloping horses.

They passed all kinds of tame animals. A sea turtle napped in a stack of beach towels. A leopard stretched out asleep on the diving board. The resort guests—only young women, as far as I could see—lounged in deck chairs, drinking fruit smoothies or reading magazines while herbal gunk dried on their faces and manicurists in white uniforms did their nails.

Percy was glad other campers told him stories of their autumns and winters and springs outside of camp otherwise he would have been behind on everything.

As they headed up a staircase toward what looked like the main building, he heard a woman singing. Her voice floated through the air like a lullaby. Her words were in some language other than ancient Greek, but just as old. They sounded kind of familiar… magic. There was definitely some element of magic to her words. Even though she was singing about moonlight in the olive groves and the colours of the sunrise, the magic was enough to throw him off. Kronos spoke in the ancient tongue of magic sometimes, and though it sounded much prettier coming from a lady's mouth, the language itself haunted him.

"So when's the luau?" Percy asked, trying to keep his mind off the singing.

"Oh, don't worry," the woman said with a suspicious twinkle in her eyes. "You'll get all you need from the makeover. The luau will just be dessert. You'll get all the vital essentials you need. Trust me."

Then a small voice from behind them shouted, "Hylla! Hylla!"

The older woman turned and frowned. "Reyna, what are you doing here?"

Percy watched as the woman—Hylla—approached what looked like her twin… except for the fact that her twin was like ten years old. And she looked like she was in her late teens to early twenties. They began to have an argument, and the one named Reyna didn't seem to notice him. Percy's hands accidentally found their way back in his pockets and he remembered the woman singing.

What was written on the label of the multivitamin bottle? And everything you need to be yourself. How did Hermes know? If there was magic here, he needed to make sure nothing happened to him. The Mist was complicated enough… but potions. Percy wondered if there were any children of Hecate that had been sleeping in the Hermes bunk.

He took the opportunity, while Reyna and Hylla were distracted, to take a couple vitamins out. He popped them into his mouth and swallowed them. Was that… cherry and lemon together?

"Who's that?" Reyna asked, pointing at him.

"Percy Jackson, but that doesn't matter. Just go!"

After a couple more words, the little girl ran off, and Hylla gave him a fake smile. "Sorry about that, Percy. Shall we go?"

"Definitely a trap," he muttered as he entered the big room in front of him. They knew his name, and he never told them.

Percy hoped that there were no empousai here. Hopefully all the young women were just… witches or something.

Even knowing it was a trap, Percy looked at everything in awe. The whole front wall of the room was windows. The back wall was covered in mirrors, so the room seemed to go on forever. There was a bunch of expensive-looking white furniture, and on a table in one corner was a large wire pet cage. Were those… guinea pigs? Then he saw the lady who'd been singing… and whoa.

She sat at a loom the size of a big screen TV, her hands weaving coloured thread back and forth with amazing skill. The tapestry shimmered like it was three dimensional—a waterfall scene so real he could see the water moving and the clouds drifting across a fabric sky.

"It's beautiful," he marveled.

The woman turned. She was even prettier than her fabric.

Her long dark hair was braided with threads of gold. She had piercing green eyes and she wore a silky black dress with shapes that seemed to move in the fabric: animal shadows, black upon black, like deer running through a forest at night.

"You appreciate weaving, my dear?" the woman asked.

Percy gave her a blank stare. All he could manage was: "Uhhhh…"

She laughed. "It's all right. My name is C.C." She turned to Hylla. "Thank you, Hylla. You may leave. And would you shut the door on your way out?"

Percy tried not to make too much eye contact with C.C. She was really, really, really beautiful. Enchantment, he thought.

Hylla left, and only the two of them were left.

C.C. took his arm and guided him toward the mirrored wall. "Don't worry, Percy. I'm going to give you a wonderful makeover. Something you would want… something you desire. You see, Percy… to unlock your potential, you'll need serious help. The first step is admitting that you're not happy the way you are."

Percy hoped the vitamins would last for more than a few minutes. He'd need more than that. And he needed to act like he was another victim to whatever trap this was.

It wasn't hard finding all the faults in his appearance. He actually felt disappointed that he wasn't better looking. But he was eleven. What could he do?

"There, there," C.C. consoled. "How about we try… this?"

She snapped her fingers and a sky-blue curtain rolled down over the mirror. It shimmered like the fabric on her loom.

"What do you see?" she asked.

The shimmering stopped and he gasped. On the blue cloth, a reflection, but not a reflection, appeared. An image of a cooler version of Percy Jackson appeared—with just the right clothes, a confident smile on his face. His teeth were straight. A perfect tan. More athletic. Maybe a couple of inches taller. It was him, without the faults, and a little bit older.

"Whoa," he managed.

"Do you want that?" C.C. asked. "Or shall I try a different—"

"Um… no that's good," Percy said. He glanced at the mirror. It was rather appealing… "Can you really—"

"I can give you a full makeover," C.C. promised.

"What's the catch?" he said. "I have to like… eat a special diet?"

"Oh, it's quite easy," C.C. said. "Plenty of fresh fruit, a mild exercise program, and of course… this."

She stepped over to her wet bar and filled a glass with water. Then she ripped open a drink-mix packet and poured in some red powder. The mixture began to glow. When it faded, the drink looked just like a strawberry milk shake. It was not a strawberry milk shake. He knew that much.

"One of these, substituted for a regular meal," C.C. said. "I guarantee you'll see results immediately."

"How is that possible?"

She laughed. "Why question it? I mean, don't you want the perfect you right away?"

Percy tried to find something to stall with. He couldn't. "Uh…"

"Now, Percy," C.C. chided, "the hardest part of the makeover process is giving up control. You have to decide: do you want to trust _your_ judgement about what you should be, or _my_ judgement?"

"Your judgement," he said.

C.C. smiled and handed him the glass. He lifted it to his lips, but before he drank, he noticed the guinea pig cage out of the corner of his eye. That would be enough to stall, just in case the vitamins wore out.

"Hey, you know the guinea pigs back there?" he asked. "You think I could get one. You know, as a pet?"

C.C. turned to look at the guinea pigs and frowned. "I'm sorry. Those pigs aren't available. They're going off to Kindergarten classes all over the world!"

"Pigs?"

C.C. seemed to notice her slip-up. She caught herself well. "Oh, just what I call my guinea pigs. It's not a big deal."

Sorceress. Pigs. C.C.

"Is there a name for this island?" he asked.

C.C. looked at him cautiously. "What is the point of that?"

A lie popped straight into his head. It was ridiculous, but he hoped it would work. "I wanna get my other friends into this. This sounds awesome. I'm sure they could find this on Google or something, right?"

"Friends? What is an eleven-year-old boy doing out in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle? That is my question. Because if you had friends at home, you would not be here right now, demigod." She laughed evilly, and Percy took a step back. "No man leaves Aeaea!"

"Odysseus did," Percy noted. It was the wrong thing to say. "You're Circe!"

C.C. let loose a blast of magic. He was sent flying into the corner of the room, and the milk shake flew out of his hands and smashed into the wall. He looked up from where he was and saw the guinea pig cage. He remembered Circe's story. She lured men to the island with magic before turning them into pigs after a feast. He figured pigs were too stinky and messy for the resort full of young women so she chose to turn them into guinea pigs when Europeans found them in the Americas.

_Everything you need to be yourself_.

"How are you not a shrew!?" shrieked Circe.

Percy got up and felt a sudden boost in confidence. He reached for the bottle of multivitamins and showed it to the sorceress.

She howled in frustration. "Curse Hermes and his multivitamins! Those are such a fad! They do _nothing_ for you."

He grinned wickedly. Knocking the top of the cage off, he poured the rest of the vitamins inside.

"No!" Circe screamed.

Suddenly, the guinea pigs began to grow. Percy stepped away from the cage as it exploded. Six other guys, who all looked disoriented, blinking and shaking wood shavings out of their hair, appeared on the ground at his feet.

"No!" Circe screamed. "You don't understand! Those are the worst!"

One of the men stood up—a huge guy with a long tangled pitch-black beard and teeth the same colour. He wore mismatched clothes of wool and leather, knee-length boots, and a floppy felt hat. The other men were dressed more simply—in breeches and stained white shirts. All of them were barefoot.

"Argggh!" bellowed the big man. "What's the witch done t'me!"

"No!" Circe moaned.

Percy stared at the pirate. "Are you Blackbeard?"

"Aye, lad," the big man growled. "And there's the sorceress what captured us, lads! Run her through, and then I mean to find me a big bowl of celery! Arggggh!"

Circe screamed. She ran from the room, chased by the pirates.

Percy knew he needed to make his escape. He sprinted outside and turned to run down to hill. He ran down the hillside through the terraces, past screaming spa workers and pirates ransacking the resort. Blackbeard's men broke the tiki torches for the luau, threw herbal wraps into the swimming pool, and kicked over tables of sauna towels. They lit the resort on fire. They were burning it down.

When he reached the docks, he stopped to look for which ship to take. He couldn't take the sub or the fighter jet. He couldn't pilot any of those things. And then he saw it.

"Argggh!" Blackbeard yelled somewhere behind him. "That scalawag is a-boarding me vessel! Get 'em, lads!"

Percy looked around at the hopeless maze of sail and ropes. The old sailing ship was in great condition for a three-hundred-year-old vessel, but it would still take a crew of fifty several hours to get underway. He didn't have several hours. He could see the pirates running down the stairs, waving tiki torches and sticks of celery.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the waves lapping against the hull, the ocean currents, the winds all around him. Suddenly, the right world appeared in his mind.

"Mizzenmast!" he yelled.

The air was filled with whistling sounds as ropes snapped taut, canvases unfurled and wooden pulleys creaked. He didn't know how, but the ship was responding to him as if it was a part of his body. He willed the sails to rise and willed the rudder to turn.

Percy stared guiltily at the island of Aeaea as it burned. But he couldn't stay and help. He had to go.

He raised his arms and thrust them toward the beach. A huge twenty-foot-wave picked up the three-mast ship before sending it propelling back into the Sea of Monsters. The wave exploded forward and doused the burning terraces. He hoped it was enough to put out the fires, but he turned around, directing the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ toward his destination: the island of the Cyclops.

* * *

Percy was dead tired when he spotted the island. It was just a dark spot in the mist, but from the lack of land around, Percy wondered if it was another trap. It had to be.

He'd already seen weird monsters. A plume of water as tall as a skyscraper had spewed into the moonlight once. Another time, a row of green spines slithered across the waves—something maybe a hundred feet long, reptilian. He didn't really want to know.

Then the rocky coastline of the island came into view. And Percy began to hear the song.

In alarm, he realized he was heading toward the island of the Sirens. He was glad he'd checked out what was below deck before; otherwise he probably would have been screwed. He rushed downstairs to the tub of candle wax and kneaded them into earplugs. Just as he was about to stuff his ears, the enchantment reached him.

He couldn't control himself as he walked above deck, the candle wax still in his hands, and stared out at the Sirens.

In his vision, he was in Central Park. It was a normal day, and spread out in front of him was a picnic blanket and a giant feast. There were four people sitting on the blanket. His mother was back, alive and healthy. She looked just as he remembered, and was dressed casually—in blue jeans, sneakers, and a white T-shirt. Next to her sat a young couple: Nathan and Rose. They both wore Camp Half-Blood shirts, but underneath CAMP HALF-BLOOD was, in smaller letters, Summer Camp for Children and Teens with Dyslexia and ADHD. They looked peaceful. And the last person there was Grover… but not the satyr Grover. His pant leg was rolled up, and Percy saw a human leg. Grover was just a kid with a physical handicap. He was laughing and said, "You look ridiculous, Percy. Look at yourself."

He handed Percy a mirror, and Percy looked at himself.

There were drawings all over his face. It looked like some sort of face paint, but that wasn't what caught Percy's attention.

His hair was still messy but it was brown, like his mother's hair. And his eyes weren't green. His eyes were brown. Just like his mother. He looked back up at his mom, and her radiant smile was contagious. He smiled back. He was in the world he desired. He was in the world he wanted.

Poseidon wasn't his father. He took after his mother instead. And Grover wasn't a satyr. Percy looked up at the Empire State Building. This was a world where the world of Greek mythology didn't exist. He wished that things were just normal. Where humans existed solely without demons and monsters shrouded in a magical curtain called the Mist.

He looked at his mother and hugged her. But then he pulled away and took a step back.

"I love you mom, but you're dead," he said. "You can't live again as my mom." He turned to Grover. "You're a satyr. A wonderful satyr. Nothing will change that." He turned to Nathan and Rose. "You gave your lives to help others. And maybe, Rose, maybe you survived. Who knows? But you helped me. And I… I have to accept the truth. I want you all back. But I learned, the hard way, that almost nobody likes the truth. They just have to accept it."

The vision dissipated, and Percy nearly slammed into the wrecked hull of a yacht. He was submerged in the water. The candle wax was in his ears, and he willed the water from pulling him to the island of the Sirens.

Ordering a rope ladder to drop over the side of the ship, he climbed aboard. He sailed until the island was completely out of sight, and by then he was on the verge of passing out. He would never admit it to anybody but he wept as he thought about the vision he had. He wanted his mother back so bad. But she'd been dead for years. He had accepted that for a while now. And it was better if he stayed away. He didn't want to relive her death anymore.

Percy knew he got attached to people too easily if he didn't absolutely hate them. He even wished that nothing bad would ever happen to Clarisse. Nathan and Rose were gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The Sirens _had_ gotten something wrong, though. As much as he didn't want to live in the world of the gods, he would never want Grover any other way. The satyr was good the way he was, and even though most of their friendship had happened in the background of his life and was more of a daily thing, Percy couldn't dream of Grover as anything but a satyr.

Maybe it was because he wanted too much.

Suddenly, he dropped to the deck like an anchor and fell right into a dream.

He began reliving his mother's death, again. He stood in the forest and watched the man stab her. He saw his younger self slap a hand on his mouth. Percy grimaced as the shadow dissipated into thin air. That moment when the tip of the blade went right through to the opposite side was the moment that flashed in his head the most.

And each time, it took all of his will to hold back the tears. There was no anger. Just tragedy.

* * *

On Olympus… in the throne room, there were twelve thrones curled around in a semi-circle, all of them occupied, watching a shimmering image of Percy passed out on the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ above the hearth. The head throne was occupied by a man in a dark blue pinstriped suit, and he looked like he wanted to smite Percy right then and there.

"How dare you save your boy?!" Zeus crackled with electric energy.

"You were about to smite him!"

"That boy of yours is too powerful!" Zeus boomed. "No hero, especially not one as young as him, has ever escaped the Sirens without more aid than this. I should kill him right now."

"Need I remind you where your daughter is?" Poseidon threatened. He waved his hand, and the image changed to one of Thalia. She and Annabeth were running on the beaches of Atlantic City, right along the ocean. "At the current moment, Hades' monsters are coming from the south and from the west. And I have shown her no contempt, so she chooses to stay along the beaches. At any time I can kill her. And I will if you lay a single hair on my son."

"It is a wise choice to eliminate a threat before it grows into an issue," Athena said. "I agree with Father. It would be best to kill the boy. We've watched him for years. And we've seen him grow a hatred for us."

"He's not a bad person," Aphrodite said, filing her nails. "I can sense his love. Oh, the poor dear. He just needs people to comfort him. Such a traumatic event with his mother. What do they call it nowadays, Dionysus? Traumatic disorder thingy?"

"PTSD," the wine god said in a nasally tone. "Post-traumatic stress disorder. Though he's not as insane as most victims are."

"That's because he's a demigod," Poseidon said. "He has to deal with this. Everything we bring upon them is traumatizing. His brain is messed up somehow. The Sirens couldn't trick him as well as the average hero. His desires aren't things he has to have. He knows what he wants are things that are impossible to have. He's lived for too many years at camp to not accept his mother's death."

"He is still dangerous," argued Zeus. "He can't—"

"NO!" Poseidon slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne. He growled at Zeus menacingly. "I already lost Sally! I will not lose Percy. Not without a price, Zeus."

The throne room fell silent at the Sea God's rage.

Poseidon turned to the image of Thalia running. "Your daughter can be saved, as much as I don't like it, Zeus. I have a feeling she, and the daughter of Athena, will help my son regain at least a part of his sanity. And perhaps…" He glanced at Hermes. "Perhaps they'll help change his mind. If your daughter survives, perhaps _they_ will force him to change. He'll realize his mistake."

"That's a gamble," Dionysus pointed out. "Works for me."

"If we get someone that powerful on our side…" Apollo's eyes gleamed. "_Olympus will stay. Percy, hero of the day. Bad guys go away!_ How was that haiku? Good? Good?"

Artemis sighed and put her head in her hands. "I don't think I can trust a boy." She gave a pointed glare at Apollo. "Not to change."

Hermes cleared his throat. "Well, I don't think that _everything_ will end happily. But… I'm sure Percy will make the right decision in the end. I'm not even sure if he's the one we have to worry about." Hermes looked off in the distance absentmindedly.

Poseidon grimaced, knowing what Hermes was thinking about. "We'll have to wait and see. Only time will tell." He caught Hermes' attention again. "Only _time_ will tell."

"Yeah," chuckled Hermes darkly. "Time. What a bastard. Screws everybody over."

* * *

**If anybody understands that last line...**

**It's a reference to a line in the Fault in Our Stars (the book; not gonna watch the movie tbh) that says "What a slut time is, she screws everybody." I thought it was kind of clever, though it's pretty obvious what that hint is. Percy keeps going through. Now the story is beginning to get to the main points. I originally intended for this part to be a one chapter thing, but I figured, might as well have Percy destroy Circe's Island now so (SPOILER ALERT!) when he comes back, he can see the destruction he caused. (END OF SPOILER!) Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Leave a review if you want, follow if you haven't, or favourite if you feel obliged to.**

**Thanks,**

**Sharky**


	9. Miracles

******************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Percy's dream was a little different this time. Instead of fading to black after his mother's death, he was standing on Half-Blood Hill. Except there was something wrong with it.

Half-Blood Hill should have been a regular, grassy hill, but next to where he stood rose a massive tree. It looked like an ash tree. He looked down into the valley. Camp Half-Blood looked about as healthy and lively as he'd ever seen it. It was day time, and kids were running back and forth. But they didn't look like they were having fun. They were running toward the forest where they usually played capture the flag.

Someone yelled at him from the Big House: "Come on, Percy! We gotta go!"

Looking down, he saw Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, waving at him. She ran off. Not long after, there was a sudden explosion from inside the forest. There were panicked screams from campers. He ran down the hill and into the forest. By the time he got down there, a fire had started. Fiery flames fed off the dry bark of the dryads' trees. Many of them were trying to put them out. Some were burning. He willed the creek to rise and put out the fire, and a huge wave of water washed through the forest.

He kept running until he found himself at Zeus' Fist, where the dead bodies of dozens of campers lay spread out around the whole area. There were piles of dust spread around. Monsters had invaded camp. There were destroyed catapults, bent and dented armour. He looked down and saw the half-burned face of Clarisse, her expression full of surprise. A spear sprouted from her chest.

"Percy!" Luke voice shouted from somewhere back in the forest.

The son of Poseidon ran toward the voice until he found the son of Hermes sitting on a rock in the shade along the creek. Percy paused when he saw a double of himself walking slowly toward Luke. He realized that he was re-living a moment a couple days ago when he and Luke met about placing a spy in the camp.

"Percy!" Luke shouted again. "This is not a joke!"

"I never said it was," Percy's double said. "I'm just saying that you can't be a spy for Kronos. It has to be someone who Kronos thinks is worthless. It would have to be someone who the camp trusts, but who also will listen to you."

"Then who do you propose?" Luke growled.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I know people. I know what people do at camp. I'm good at blending in. I'm good at finding out what people sneak in and out. I may be known as camp's best fighter for his age, but otherwise, I'm just another unclaimed kid. I don't stand out." Percy sipped from his smuggled can of Coca-Cola. "You, on the other hand, have found places I've never thought existed. You found this giant rock with a hidden label of BUNKER 9. You are more useful to be working outside of camp because you already know how to navigate it so well."

"So you're going to manipulate people?"

"No." Percy's double looked around to make sure nobody was around. "Only one of us can make noise. That's you. You wanted the glory. I'll feed you the inside stories. I'll be your eyes and ears on the inside. But until… until I can reveal the truth, you'll need another spy."

Percy's dream-self watched as dryads began poking their heads out of their trees to listen. So the dryads had been listening, he thought.

"Why can't you just tell me what truth this is?" Luke demanded. "It can't be that bad."

Percy's double shook his head. "I can't. The time isn't right. I promise you that Kronos willed this."

Luke sighed. "Fine. But you promised to go on the quest, so you better fulfill it. The Titan lord will punish you if you fail."

"Trust me," Percy's double said darkly. "I know."

The dream suddenly shifted scenes. He was back on Half-Blood Hill, but Camp Half-Blood was destroyed and there was no ash tree. Everything had been burned down and destroyed. All that was left was the burning wreckage of buildings in a smoldering valley of death.

Standing before him were the twelve Olympians, all alive and in battle armour. There were two demigods and a satyr standing in front of the gods, and they all looked angry. Annabeth, Thalia… and Grover. The two female demigods were wearing armour and looked tired and beat up. Grover looked like he'd been through Hades and back. But nobody looked as furious as Zeus, the king of the gods, who thundered, "How dare you turn on the Olympians? You failed, and this is the price you pay!"

Hermes took out a human body out of what was seemingly thin air and tossed it in front of him. It was Luke, broken and dead. Percy stared in horror as the demigods took a step forward.

"We expelled Kronos," Annabeth said. "No thanks to you. You destroyed our home—your home because of your greed and your pride. Just because you were too stubborn to forgive. Just because you felt like having revenge on your father for something out of his control was the best path to take."

"I never would have turned on the gods," Thalia snarled. "You're a disgrace to all children of the Big Three. Camp is gone now, and the future of demigods now has to be rebuilt from scratch. We thought you were our friend. But you betrayed us. I _hate_ people who stab their friends in the back."

Grover was the worst. He looked more disappointed than anything. "We were friends, even if your mind and your life were more devoted to the cause of the rise of the titans. I thought we were best friends. But you proved me wrong. I'm… I'm ashamed to be affiliated with you in any way. You don't make me angry, Percy. You make me feel disappointed. You should be shameful."

His father looked almost the same. And for some weird reason, Percy truly felt bad, even though it was just a dream. "I'm ashamed to call you my son. But you chose your path. I let you. Now, here I am, at the end of it. And I'm forced to kill you. Because you aren't my son. You're not the boy Sally and I would have wanted."

Percy stood there in stunned silence as Poseidon raised his trident and blasted him with a bright green beam. As it hit him, his eyes shot open.

He was back on the _Queen Anne's_ _Revenge_. There was no camp around him. Only the wooden deck of the sailing ship surrounded him. And beyond that only the blue ocean ringed around.

At least, that was what he thought until he stood up.

Up ahead was another blotch of land—a saddle-shaped island with forested hills and white beaches and green meadows—just like he'd seen in his dream. His nautical senses confirmed it: 30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west.

He'd reached the home of the Cyclops.

As he sailed toward the shore, he breathed in the sweet air. "The Fleece," he said. Even though he couldn't see it, he could feel its power. He knew that it would heal anything, even an old Titan lord who had been cut into a gazillion pieces. How had the Cyclops gotten the Fleece?

Then he spotted the sheep of doom.

They were milling around at the base of the ravine, just like in his dream, not bothering to munch on the grass. Percy knew that there was no way he could get around the sheep. He'd be the next skeleton in Polyphemus' science lab: new, clean and real. He had to go around to a different part of the island and get up there. But the only problem about the saddle-shaped island was that there was only one place where he could climb up and not be doomed to death… unless, of course, Polyphemus had carnivorous mountain goats.

On the back side of the island, the cliffs rose straight up a good two hundred feet. The _Queen Anne's Revenge_ was less likely to be seen there. The cliffs looked climbable, barely—about as difficult as the lava wall back at camp.

He rowed a lifeboat to the edge of the rocks and made his way up, very slowly.

He only came close to dying six or seven times, which he thought was pretty good considering the fact that he should have died via Scylla and Charybdis, got lucky with Circe, and somehow found a miracle and broke the Sirens' spell with water and pure will.

Once, he lost his grip and found himself dangling by one hand from a ledge fifty feet above the rocky surf. But he found another handhold and kept climbing.

Sure, he could control water, but he was dead tired halfway up. He wasn't sure he could make it another foot not to mention make a water bed to catch himself. Somehow, he found the will to keep going and made it all the way to the top. His fingers felt like molten lead and his arm muscles were shaking from exhaustion as he hauled himself over the top of the cliff and collapsed. "Ugh," he groaned.

After a couple minutes of rest, he rolled over to the side, expecting that he was on a nice, big ledge. He nearly fell off as he reacted alertly. Then it fell apart.

Percy slid onto the giant boulder just below him before skidding right off and crashing to the ground with a hard thump. The dirt was harder than he'd expected and he felt like he'd fallen from a two story building and managed to survive.

He groaned again and looked up. There was his prize. The Golden Fleece. Down the hill, across the chasm, and down another hill to the end of the path. Then the path itself led down into the forest to the flock of killer sheep. All Percy needed to do was get the Fleece, bring it back up to the Cyclops' cave, throw it down two hundred feet and jump after it hoping he would land in the water. A perfectly sane idea.

Better than being torn apart by sheep, he thought.

He struggled to get up and clutched his chest. He felt like he was punched like fifty times in the chest. It hurt. He slowly made his way across the bridge toward the Golden Fleece, but when he got across he realized a big problem: the killer sheep were in the way.

They flocked around the tree of the Golden Fleece, as if someone had led them up the path recently. As if the Cyclops had been around very recently.

As quickly as a cobra, a giant hand swatted him back toward the rope bridge. Percy swore he heard something crack.

Turning, he came face-to-face with the keeper of the island, Polyphemus, the dreaded Cyclops he'd dreamed about. Percy backed up as the Cyclops slowly walked forward with his mossy, yellow incisors grinning maniacally at him.

"Who are you?" asked the Cyclops in a deadly quiet tone.

Percy, out of fear and anxiety, stayed silent. Just because he was serving Kronos didn't make lesser creatures like Cyclopes any less deadly and scary. And Polyphemus' breath was to die for. Literally. It was horrible. The guy needed some toothpaste or mouthwash.

Polyphemus' hand jutted out and grabbed him. One moment he was staring the Cyclops down, the next he was flying through the air. He heard Polyphemus bark out an order of some sort before he crashed into a tree. Percy screamed in pain as he slid down to the ground. There was a large thump in front of him, and through his blurred vision, he could see a hulking figure approaching him.

The sheep around him were baring their teeth, but they were hesitant to approach, as if he was a dangerous bomb or something.

"Who are you?" bellowed the Cyclops.

Percy tried to stand. He was only successful when he leaned against the tree. "I'm… I'm Nobody," he decided. "I'm Nobody."

The Cyclops growled. "I remember you, Nobody. You stab my eye many years ago. Maybe I not seeing but I smelling. Smell like fish. Die fish!"

Polyphemus swung his arm, but Percy managed, with his remaining strength, to dive to the side. Pain screamed through his body, but he rolled and stabbed the monster through his big belly. Polyphemus roared in pain and stumbled back.

"Mortal!" Polyphemus bellowed. "Thieving human! Come here to steal my Fleece!"

"It's not your Fleece," Percy spat back. "It belonged to Colchis. It belonged to Phrixus. Then Jason took it. And then you stole it somehow. You've been using it to lure satyrs to their deaths!"

"So? Satyrs good eating!"

"The Fleece should be used to heal! It belongs to the children of the gods!"

"_I_ am a child of the gods!" Polyphemus swiped at Percy, but Percy ducked. "Father Poseidon, curse this thief!"

He was blinking hard now, like he could barely see, and Percy realized he was targeting by the sound of his voice.

"Poseidon won't—" Percy cut himself off. The image of his dream came back to him. He remembered Poseidon's disappointment. And it gave Polyphemus enough time to swipe at him.

Percy went flying through the ravine and over all of the sheep. He landed in the sand at the beach. He was bleeding from his mouth, felt like he was bruised everywhere, and exhausted. But he was back on home territory. If only he'd landed a couple feet further away… But he could crawl.

The moment he did, though, searing pain shot up his left leg. Immediately, he knew something was broken. Polyphemus landed in the water in front of him blocking his only escape route. The killer sheep were circling around behind him, and the Cyclops wielded a deadly spear with a tip made of a ram's horn.

"This is what you used to stab me, Nobody," Polyphemus growled. "Now, I will use this to stab you!"

Luckily for Percy, Polyphemus was pretty much blind. He missed the stab. But only by inches.

Percy needed the ocean. Percy needed a miracle right now. Poseidon had already helped him with the hippocampus. Would the god help him again?

Percy prayed. _Please, father. I need help!_

A voice echoed in his head. _You are my son, whether you like it or not_. _You are my son, whether you like it or not_.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ turn the corner, and an idea formed in his head. He thought hard about the ship as she began to sail within range of the whole fiasco. Polyphemus ripped the spear from the ground as he grumbled about poor aim. Percy didn't have much time. He needed this to work. Otherwise he was dead.

"No you won't, Cyclops." The anger swelled in Percy as he realized he wouldn't get the Fleece… that he would fail his quest. "Because I am a son of Poseidon! And while you may rule this island, I command the seas!"

He screamed: "Fire!" With all of his might, he rolled over to the side, screaming in delight and agonizing pain.

Percy was glad that he'd taken the _Queen Anne's Revenge_. All the starboard side cannons fired, and six cannonballs sailed at Polyphemus. The whole spectacle caught him so off guard that two of the six hit him straight in the chest, nailing him to the ground. Percy knew that it wasn't going to be enough to kill him, but at least he'd be down.

The demigod rolled into the water and immediately felt the pain in his leg lessen. He felt power fill his veins, and with a desperate scream, he let loose the largest torrent of water he'd ever sent before. A thirty foot wave of water slammed into the beach, submerging everything within a hundred meters. Sheep were knocked over, bleating as they were thrown around by the unrelenting water. Percy never felt better in his life; the water seemed to be a part of him, and it listened to every command he gave it.

Suddenly, a hippocampus broke the surface behind him… _the_ hippocampus broke through the surface.

"Rainbow!" Percy shouted with glee. He hopped onto his steed and ordered the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ to fire on the island again. The sand blew ten feet into the air as the cannonballs exploded against the sand.

Percy looked up at the Golden Fleece. He knew if he tried, he'd kill himself. He already felt the pain seeping back into his body. The sugar rush was draining from him.

Percy looked back at Rainbow, who began his course away from Polyphemus' Island. So somehow Poseidon _had_ listened to him by giving him the exact same help as he did back in Virginia. Cheap-ass dad.

"But thanks," Percy muttered.

And for some reason, Percy knew that somewhere out there his dad was smiling back at him saying "You're lucky you're not dead."

Because truly, like the Gray Sisters had said, this was a suicide quest. He'd only gotten lucky that Charybdis decided to stop eating and start barfing. He'd been fortunate that he had Hermes' bottle of multivitamins otherwise he would've been a guinea pig stuck on Circe's Island forever. And he received the greatest miracle of all: a twisted mind to escape the trickery of the Sirens.

The Fates hadn't cut his string yet. And perhaps he'd learned something through this whole adventure: there was a pair of green eyes watching him. And he hoped the owner was proud.

* * *

**Okay, so this might seem like a stupid chapter... stupid fight. Why didn't Percy get the Fleece? He's already had enough miracles. Even the greatest of heroes weren't lucky until death. They usually had a very painful life up until their equally painful death. Except the original Perseus' case. That's a little different. Now this further's Percy's conflicted sides. He's already teetering. Now he's understanding more of his father's side. He's realizing that his father _is_ helping him. He wants his father's attention, but he also dislikes the Olympians and their carelessness toward unclaimed children. Percy is very much a person trying to weigh out his options. He knows what joining Kronos has done for him. He's beginning to know what the side of the gods will do for him. But it isn't until later when it is truly brought out.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you haven't already, please vote for the poll. Read, rate and review. Or read, stop halfway and never come back if you hate it. But if you stop halfway, that means you're not reading this. If you are reading this and dislike it, why haven't you stopped already?**

**Thanks,  
Sharky**


	10. Nightmares

**********************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

When Percy woke up, Rainbow the hippocampus was whinnying and swimming in circles, sniffing the water. He didn't look happy.

Percy looked up. In the distance, the sun was setting behind a city skyline. He could see a beachside highway lined with palm trees, store fronts glowing with red and blue neon, a harbour filled with sailboats and cruise ships. He was at 25 degrees, 49 minutes north, 80 degrees, and 0 minutes west. The best he could figure, it was Miami.

He looked back down at his hippocampus companion who was sneezing all over the place. He knew what the hippocampus was thinking.

"Too many humans and too much pollution, huh?" Percy patted the creature's mane.

The hippocampus whinnied in agreement.

Percy sighed and slid off. He looked back out to the Atlantic Ocean. "You know, Rainbow. If you ever go to Poseidon's palace, tell him… if you can, tell him I—I'm thankful." Percy struggled with the words. He'd alienated his dad for so long, especially after he found out who his dad was. But he couldn't help but feel grateful that Poseidon _had_ helped him. "I'm grateful. I want him to know that if he's not watching right now. Can you try to do that?"

Rainbow lowed. _Of course_.

He ruffled Rainbow's mane. "Thanks."

Rainbow snuggled up to him a little before turning and swimming away. Once the hippocampus' white mane disappeared into the sea, Percy swam for shore. The waves pushed him forward, and in no time he was back in the mortal world. He wandered along the cruise line docks, pushing through crowds of people arriving for vacations. Porters bustled around with carts of luggage. Taxi drivers yelled at each other in Spanish and tried to cut in line for customers.

Percy kept walking until a young couple cut in front of him. The man had his wallet out, and the woman was pestering him about something.

"Honey!" the woman exclaimed. "Hurry or we're going to miss the cruise! Usually you're so swift-footed, but today you're so slow!"

The man turned to her. "I'm sorry! There's just a lot going on. Don't worry, my lady. We won't miss the ferry. And besides, who wouldn't be distracted by the most beautiful woman in the world."

She blushed and tugged the arm he was holding his wallet with. It fell to the ground, and the couple kissed. Clearly the man was lightheaded or distracted by his girlfriend or wife because he forgot his wallet when they walked away. Percy bent down and picked it up. Scanning through, he hoped to find an ID or something so he knew what to call the guy with. But there was nothing there, as if he had no identity.

Percy noticed about two hundred bucks sticking out of the wallet. Glancing at the couple, who were getting farther away, he knew he had to decide whether to take the money or to give it back to the couple.

He wasn't sure when he began to have two voices in his head, but one was like an angelic, goody two-shoes side of him, and one was like a devilish, evil side of him. His good side told him to give the money back. His bad side told him to take it and run. In a way, he knew it represented his allegiances. His allegiance to Kronos, the Titan lord, was like the bad side of him focusing on revenge and doing things that benefited him solely. His allegiance to Camp Half-Blood and the campers was like the good side of him that focused on forgiveness and being a good person. At least, it felt that way.

It wasn't until recently that he'd begun to think about changing sides. Although Percy had been working for Kronos for a long time, it wasn't until recently that the plans were beginning to fall into place. And the one thing Percy knew was inevitable—and something he dreaded—was that Camp Half-Blood had to be eliminated. He loved camp, and even though he'd wanted the end of the reign of the Olympians for a long time, he couldn't bear to watch his home suffer for it. He'd spent nearly half his life at camp.

Percy could almost hear Kronos' voice chastising him: _No weaknesses, Perseus Jackson. You are dead if you show weakness._

Most of his weaknesses were in his head. He did his best not to show any weaknesses because he wanted to become this fearless warrior that everyone would bow down to. At the same time, he was going to die when he turned sixteen. Would he become a martyr for what he did? Kronos seemed to promise him anything.

Percy wanted to do the right thing, and Kronos' path just seemed like the best path to go down.

"Hey!" Percy called. "Hey!"

The couple turned around.

"Your wallet," Percy said. He jogged up to them.

The man looked surprised. "Oh, gods. Thank you so much, young man. I must've dropped when we…" He trailed off with a sneaky smile. A very familiar sneaky smile. "Thanks, sir." He took the wallet.

The lady looked at him with curious eyes. Percy noticed that her eyes seemed to change colours constantly. Her hair was blonde, but he got the feeling any hair colour would look good on her. She gave him a dazzling smile and kissed him on the cheek. She spoke with a bright smile: "Thank you, _darling_." She said _darling_ in a posh accent. "Who knows what we could have lost?"

"Two hundred dollars," he said impulsively. "There's… there's two hundred dollars there."

"Yeah," the man said. "I was just about to say that. Nevertheless, thanks."

Percy looked away awkwardly. "No problem," he mumbled.

Then he turned around and began to walk away.

The man suddenly shouted out, "Wait!"

Percy turned around.

The man jogged up to him and held out the two hundred dollars. "Take it. You look like you need it."

"But—"

"Don't worry, I've got all the money I need," he said with a sly smile. "Take it, get some food, and just slowly make your way back home. I'm sure wherever that home is… they miss you. I'm sure there's a nice way for you to get home."

Percy eyed the money. "Are you sure? I mean, I could have taken the money and ran away. You know, without giving it back."

"Trust me. You earned it. Sometimes doing something that helps others instead of yourself will help you reap some benefits. That's something a lot of children nowadays need to learn. You're a good kid. I hope your fortunes bring you comfort and shelter."

Percy took the money gingerly and looked down at it. Ten 20 dollar bills. "Thanks."

He got no reply. When he looked up, the man wasn't there. Neither was the woman. It was almost as if they had disappeared. What the man said sure hadn't disappeared, though. He looked down at the money guiltily. _Sometimes doing something that helps others instead of yourself will help you reap some benefits._

Percy went back down to the beach as the sun set in the west.

As he was musing about the conversation, the water suddenly shimmered in front of him. Slowly, the image of a sandy-haired boy appeared in front of him. He had a worried expression, as if something had gone seriously wrong. Camp Half-Blood gleamed in the sunset behind him peacefully. Percy wondered what was wrong.

"Luke!" Percy cried.

"Percy, thank the gods!" said the son of Hermes. "Where the hell have you been? It wasn't meant to take this long!"

"What are you talking about?" asked a puzzled Percy.

"You've been gone for over a month!" Luke said. Then he seemed to realize something and stomped around. "Gods, I forgot. Time travels differently in monstrous areas. How long have _you_ been gone from camp?"

"The better part of one week," Percy guessed. "Wait, is it—?"

"It's August now. Hurricane season. Where are you?"

"Miami."

Luke bit his lip. "Hurry back. Grover's gone after Thalia, the daughter of Zeus. I have a feeling that without more help, she'll be dead. You wouldn't mind…"

Percy remembered Rose wanting him to save Thalia. "I was already going to go help."

Luke looked a little surprised but he said, "Good, good. But you have to hurry. The last Iris-message Chiron got from Grover was a bad one. They're going to be in New York sometime soon. You need to get there quickly."

Percy looked out across Biscayne Bay. A slow smile spread across his face as he saw a harbour full of racing boats. "I have a plan."

"As long as you can get back in time," Luke said. "Hurry!" Then the image dissolved.

Percy looked back at the speed boats across the bay. "I'll be fast. Don't worry."

* * *

Maybe buying two hundred dollars' worth of gas tanks was a little overkill, but he needed to travel all the way up to New York. And he didn't feel like pushing the boat the entire way. Or swim all the way.

He had a crazy encounter when he was stealing the boat. Let's just say it involved two fat old guys, a cigarette butt, an explosion, and a boy about his age in the water without shorts and underwear. But he rode the boat at over a hundred knots. The thing was fast; definitely faster than a cruising hippocampus.

The motorboat was a lot harder to control than the _Queen Anne's Revenge_, but he made it cruise to the northeast within sight of land as he lay down to sleep.

Weird, he thought. Sleep.

Truthfully, he thought he wouldn't get much sleep during this quest, but he'd gotten quite a bit of sleep. Aside from the first couple of days, he'd gotten a lot of rest. Ever since he got to Chesapeake in Virginia. Thinking back to that, he remembered the recording that Thalia and Annabeth had made in their little hut. And remembering Thalia reminded him of Luke's Iris-message earlier. It was only now that he realized Luke had said nothing about the Fleece, which was suspicious.

Now that he had lots of time think, it was a little peculiar. But he was fast asleep before he could ponder it.

There were a lot of nightmares that he'd had, but none were as scary as this one.

At camp he had read descriptions of the Underworld from poets and writers in the past. They had said it was divided into three main parts: the Fields of Asphodel, the Fields of Punishment, and Elysium. Elysium, which included the Isles of the Blessed, was supposed to be a fairly pleasant place to be. Elysium was where the heroes were sent. If they chose to be reborn and achieved Elysium three times, they would be able to live in the Isles of the Blessed. The Fields of Asphodel were less so. It was more like a miserable dream, full of shadows, without sunlight or hope. It was a joyless place where the dead slowly faded into nothingness. And the Fields of Punishment was supposed to be a place where, depending the crimes committed, souls were to be punished eternally.

Surrounding the Underworld were five rivers: Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, Lethe and Styx. The Acheron is the river of pain and it is one of the two rivers that Charon rows his ferryboat over to get to the main area of the underworld. According to the giant book at camp, tortured souls were washed down that river screaming about pain. The Cocytus is the river of lamentation where the water makes you feel like everything is hopeless… pointless. The Phlegethon is the river of fire. It led down into Tartarus. The Lethe is the river of oblivion and anyone dunked in that river would lose their memory. The most famous river, the Styx, is the famous river that Achilles got dunked in when he was little. Apparently it circled the Underworld nine times.

But where he was in his dream… he could only see the Phlegethon. And the whole area looked even worse than the Fields of Punishment. Everything looked horrible. The ground was made of shards of glass, the air itself looked like poison. Even in his dream, he found himself struggling to breathe. But only slightly.

There were fiery explosions in the distance. Monsters roamed around everywhere like lost puppies in Times Square.

Downriver there was an opening to what seemed like a cave. Percy, for some reason, felt drawn to it. He took a step forward and the glass crunched underneath his ghostly foot. Then he heard the magic—the voice of Kronos.

"Hero." Kronos sounded even worse down wherever he was. The sound of knives being scraped against a rock seemed to be amplified by a thousand. Monsters scattered. The very voice was terrifying, even though he was split into a million billion pieces. But Percy swallowed his fear and took another step.

"You are a failure!" Kronos suddenly shouted.

Percy felt like cowering. He felt like rolling up in a ball and dying. Even though it looked like it was a thousand degrees in here, he felt colder than he'd been in a long time. Percy closed his eyes and kept walking forward.

"Be fortunate that it is only the Fleece," the Titan Lord continued. "We can get that again. But if you fail once more…" He left the threat hanging.

Then Percy found the strength to speak. "I'm just an eleven year old boy. If it wasn't for my rotten luck, I would've died."

"There are _no_ excuses! If you are weak, you will die. Are you weak?"

Percy scowled. "No," he spat. "I'm not."

"Then you would have gotten the Fleece!"

"I couldn't! I would have died if I tried! I was fighting a Cyclops. Do you know what it feels like to be related to something like that? He could have killed me with one swipe. He could have, but he didn't. He put me in a fortunate position where I could escape. You can't expect me to fight a Cyclops on my own."

"In battle, you need a mixture of fortune, intelligence and emotion. Your fortune will save you from disaster and death. Your intelligence will aid your fighting style: defensive or offensive. And your emotion will help fuel the anger… the desire for revenge. Do you not want to tear Olympus down for everything they didn't do for you? For wanting you dead?"

Percy wanted to say no, but he couldn't bring himself to. He loved camp. But Olympus was Zeus' territory. Percy wouldn't mind seeing Zeus' city burn to the ground.

_Razed_, he thought. _That's the word_.

Images started flashing in front of him. A Cyclops appeared, raising a meaty fist to strike. His mother dying again. Nathan's dead body. The vision the Sirens had shown him after he had been miraculously saved. An image of Grover laughing heartily in the strawberry fields appeared, like it was taken straight out of his memory. The Cyclops reappeared, and this time he was an actual monster ready to kill him. Percy found himself bringing out Riptide.

"Polyphemus, a son of Poseidon," Kronos hissed. "He's been luring satyrs to his island for centuries—millennia. Your goat friend Grover will soon get his searcher's license. Will you let him be doomed to the same fate? You have the chance to crush him _now_!"

"Satyrs is good eating," the Cyclops said.

The image of Polyphemus eating a satyr flashed in front of him; he was eating Grover. Percy's face twisted into a snarl and he lunged at the Cyclops. He whacked, slashed, jabbed, rolled and did everything he could to kill the beast. He was sent flying across the glass field. If this was real life, he would've been bleeding heavily. But he just stood up.

Then he saw his mom offering him a cookie. "Chocolate chip," she said. "Just the way you like it."

He grabbed at the cookie. It was mist under his fingers, but his mom acted as if he'd taken it. "Good job, Percy. You're my little hero."

The image dissolved, and the Cyclops roared.

"I'm your hero," Percy repeated.

Then he charged with fury and a purpose. He whacked, slashed, jabbed, rolled and did everything he did before. This time, he didn't even realize he was attacking the ground until he heard the scratchy laugh of the Titan Lord from below him.

The laugh made the whole ground shake, as if causing an earthquake.

"You are powerful and dangerous." Kronos didn't sound like he was happy about that. "You will be a valuable asset. You will be and you have. But do not fail again; otherwise the punishment will be much, much more severe."

"What punishment?" Percy asked.

There was no reply.

"What punishment?!" Percy demanded.

Slowly, monsters began appearing again. Percy clutched his sword tightly as he heart beat faster and faster. Ghostly spirits began rising out of the ground. He saw many faces he didn't recognize, but he saw a couple that he did. After a minute, his mother appeared with an unnatural sneer on her face. She looked unhappy about something, and the cookie plate she was holding only made him feel more confused.

"You are a disappointment," his mom said angrily. "Look at you, a failure!"

Percy tried to force her out of his mind, just like he did with the Sirens. "You're not real! This is just a dream."

"I'm ashamed to have a son like you."

"You're not real!"

"You are pathetic."

"You're not _real_!" he screamed.

She continued to spit insults and call him a bad person for what seemed like forever. He did everything he could think of to stop thinking about it. He screamed, he covered his ears, he shut his eyes. He tried but his mom's ghost pestered him. The more she said things, the worse he felt. It was one thing to be told that you're a failure. But in the voice of a parent that cared for you growing up. It was a nightmare.

Finally, Kronos hissed, "Be grateful that I have not killed you yet, demigod."

And with a start, he woke up at 39 degrees, 14 minutes north, and 75 degrees, 20 minutes west.

* * *

**Hello again! Lovely summer day in the northern hemisphere! How's winter going in the south? Aaaanyway, here's a new chapter for the story. I hope you enjoy it... Um, I'm not sure if there is anything I need to say but...**

**Oh yes! The couple. Yes, I meant to do those two. In reality, that woman sleeps with pretty much every male in the world except for Hephaestus... pretty much. So, I mean, it's not surprising that she'd help the man out with aiding Percy. BTW if you haven't figured out from Rose's late night shift, more than one god is helping Percy. Don't be alarmed, Aphrodite will go back to screwing Ares later.**

**Yeah...**

**If you have any questions, ask me. Read and review.**

**Thanks,**

**SharkAttack719**


	11. Sacrifice

**************************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

From Delaware Bay, Percy guided the boat to the Delaware River. Like with Chesapeake, as soon as he entered the river, all his energy depleted. It didn't help that he'd had a nightmare.

The worst part of it all: he wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

His mother had said some pretty bad things—things she never would have said. Even then, they were horrible. Percy found it hard to concentrate on directing the boat with the nightmare in mind. Kronos definitely knew how to punish people, and Percy never wanted to experience anything like that ever again. But in all that, he had learned something. There was that brief moment when he used both his fury and a happy moment in his life to defeat Polyphemus. Despite it being a dream, it had felt awesome.

The best Percy could figure, he ran out of gas somewhere off the Delaware-Maryland coast and had been guided by the current into Delaware Bay. There probably shouldn't have been a way to get from Miami to Delaware in a speed boat even with two hundred dollars' worth of gas, but he felt confident into the ocean.

He stopped the boat at a town called Wilmington.

Immediately, he was tracked down by a hellhound and had to make a break for it. He was running by a café and noticed the month on the billboard outside: GUSTAU. August. He cursed. There wasn't much time left for summer camp at Camp Half-Blood. He couldn't believe he'd been gone for that long. Sure, Luke told him he'd been gone for a while, but it was hard to believe that it was already August.

He glanced behind him. The monster was only five blocks away from him. He needed a vehicle, but he couldn't drive a car. A bicycle would require too much leg strength. There was no way he'd be able to outrun the hellhound even on a bike. Then as he turned the corner, he found what he needed.

A man was preparing to put on his helmet and get on his motorcycle. Percy shouted, "Hey! Hey!"

The man turned.

"Which way is it to Philadelphia?" he asked.

The man pointed to the northeast. "That way. Take I-95. Or if you're going to New York, I'd take the Jersey Turnpike before merging onto I-278 across Staten Island." He pointed east. "Easier in my opinion. Why?"

"Thanks!" Percy snatched his helmet right out of his hands.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The man raised his arms, prepared to attack.

"Sorry, I'm in a rush." Percy punched him straight in the face. He quickly searched the man's pockets for the keys and started the motorcycle. He found them and started the bike. He was just in time. The hellhound turned the corner, and Percy twisted the accelerator. He shot off in the opposite direction of the beast as it stopped in confusion.

Percy nearly died on his first turn.

A car swerved around him as he turned the corner. He decided to take the Jersey Turnpike. He hoped it would be less busy than the highway through Philly. The longer he rode on the bike, the more comfortable he got with it. He loved the feeling of the wind in his face; it reminded him of his time on the speed boat, although he'd been travelling faster on the water. Car horns honked at him as he sped through traffic, but he was a boy on a mission. He needed to get to New York before the night settled in. The sun was setting, and he knew he had little time.

Another thing he learned whilst driving the motorcycle was that there was a good reason as to why young kids weren't allowed to drive. Maturity was a big part of handling a vehicle with care. Driving was not only about the safety of one driver but the safety of everyone on the road. Percy probably could have killed more than a dozen people as he drove up to New York. Luckily there was still sunshine out. Thank Apollo for staring at California girls and Florida girls at the same time.

But the closer he got to New York, the weirder things got.

In the middle of the highway near a city called New Brunswick stood a couple of skeleton warriors. They looked really lost, but when he got within twenty yards, they immediately looked up. They were British redcoats, which was the weirdest part of all. They aimed their muskets at him and fired. Both shots missed as he zipped past them. He was glad they weren't Marines with M-16s.

They weren't the only ones. Percy got off the motorbike after he got onto Staten Island—just his luck; it ran out of gas—and saw a whole legion of dismembered Roman skeletons. The closer he got to Brooklyn, the more monsters there were. It looked like a whole trail of them had been led to New York. At the same time, the amount of monsters stretched all the way down New Jersey, and Percy wondered how many monsters there were in the area.

There were skeleton warriors and hellhounds to no extent. They all marched toward Brooklyn. Somehow, they managed to avoid getting run over on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Percy watched as a hellhound got hit by a car and went flying. It slammed into one of the suspension cables and exploded into dust. The same car knocked three skeleton Marines over like bowling pins… except for the fact that they exploded into pieces.

Percy knew it was suicide to run along the bridge, so he quickly made his way underneath and swam across. The hellhounds that had decided to chase him instead quickly decided against following him into the water. Maybe they could smell his demigod scent: sushi. Living sushi is not helpless in the water.

As he climbed up on shore in Brooklyn, he made it to the RYEKR CHEBA RKAP. It took him a minute—literally—but he finally deciphered the sign: Dyker Beach Park. Percy looked up. There weren't as many monsters over here—probably because they were too busy being glitter on cars' windshields—which made him feel better. He didn't feel like being eaten alive.

He did lose one crucial piece of information, though. Without the monsters, he wouldn't be able to find Thalia.

Suddenly, a streak of lightning flashed in the distance to the northeast. Percy counted the seconds: "One… two… three… four… five… six…" He managed to get to about eighteen seconds before the sound of thunder filled his ears.

"Five seconds per mile," he muttered. "Three point something miles. Jeez."

Percy pulled out Riptide and began running. The closer he got to where the lightning struck, the fewer monsters there were. It was only a matter of time before the monsters got close to the lightning. Even at the pace he was moving, he could almost feel the approaching monsters breathing down his neck. Percy hoped Thalia and Annabeth were moving quickly. And he hoped Grover knew where he was going.

It began to rain. But it didn't surprise him. The clouds had moved in fast.

All natural light faded as the sun set below the horizon.

Percy was more of a Manhattan boy than a Brooklyn kid, but he knew he was in a neighbourhood called Flatbush. Why did that matter? Because after all that running he ended up tripping in front of an old house. And when Percy saw what he tripped over, his heart felt heavy in his chest.

He'd known Grover for years and he would recognize the satyr's rasta cap anywhere. The red fabric lay on the ground looking like it had been trampled on. Percy picked it up and shoved it in his pocket. Lightning flashed and struck the brass eagle weather vane on top of the old house. The thunder followed almost immediately. Electricity crackled, and for the first time, Percy got the feeling Zeus was trying to help him.

_They're in here_, the voice in his head said.

Percy tested his luck. He turned the door handle of the front door slowly. It creaked as he turned it, but he turned it until he couldn't turn the handle anymore. He gently pushed the door in and it opened. He shut the door behind him as he made his way up the stairs. The bronze glow of Riptide helped light the way forward, though it was very dim. There were no lights on.

He took a left before he took a right. He decided to double back, but when he took a left, his next right led him back a different way. As he searched for the stairs, panic began settling in his bones. If there was any sudden movement, he was sure he would get a heart attack and collapse dead. He accidentally took a step forward too loudly, and the wooden floor creaked underneath him. He winced. But then there was the sound of a girl screaming, and he nearly pissed his pants.

Percy could feel his heart rattling in his chest. It pumped so hard, it felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest like a rabbit out of a hole. Instead of trying to find his way out, Percy just tried to navigate around and not walk in a circle. The place couldn't have been that hard to escape.

He continued forward when a low moan echoed from behind him. He whirled around holding his sword out but there was nothing there. He stood still for a couple moments when a random bone fell from the ceiling. He covered his mouth to keep from screaming. He pointed his sword at the ceiling, but there was nothing there.

Maybe his nightmare had been torture, but this house was just horror.

Then he smelled something burning. It came from the same direction the moan came from. Percy guessed that it was also where the scream had come from. He sniffed; it was just burning wood, like someone was making a fire. Percy decided to follow the smell.

Through the maze of corridors, Percy eventually found an opening where a door should have been. He heard delightful humming and the sound of boiling water. He took a peek around the corner.

The main room was a huge room full of dusty bookshelves filled with cobwebs and other creatures of those sorts. Percy wouldn't have been surprised if there were rats crawling around the house. Bones, both old and new, decorated the floor in a sporadic pattern: big bones, small bones, all sorts of bones. There was no meat on any of the bones. They had been licked clean. When he looked up, he saw three people hanging from the ceiling like smoked hams. They were tied up and gagged as a huge man at least eight feet tall took the giant cauldron off the fire.

There was a New York Yankees baseball cap lying on the floor a foot in front of him. It was an odd thing in the room, but then he looked up at the captives. It could have belonged to one of them. There was a bruise on Thalia's forehead, and she looked a little out of it. Annabeth was looking down—up at herself trying to struggle out. And Grover was staring fearfully at the mountain man muttering incoherent words.

Percy crept forward and took the hat. He wasn't sure if it was instinct, but he put the hat on immediately. He didn't feel any different but when he looked down he couldn't see himself. The hat was an invisibility hat. Percy didn't have more time to marvel at it because the man turned halfway—to the point where Percy could see one of his eyes—and sniffed.

"Something smells fishy," the man said.

Percy, still invisible, raised his sword and prepared to strike a blow as thin air. But then the monster turned, and Percy froze. Annabeth looked back down in confusion scanning the area for what the Cyclops was talking about.

Percy couldn't move. He realized he was staring down another Cyclops. He thought about his dream, where he'd killed a Cyclops with anger and happiness, but he felt too scared and stunned to move. The Cyclops' hand moved quickly, and before he knew it, he slammed into the wall and landed in a pile of bones. The Yankees cap flew off his head. Not the most comfortable landing.

The Cyclops spoke, but he didn't speak like his usual self. Percy remembered the voice. He hadn't heard that voice in years. He'd almost forgotten about him, but remembering what he was like and how he acted made him swell with anger.

In Smelly Gabe's voice, he said, "Worthless punk! I'll call the cops on you if you don't leave now!"

Percy stood up and tightened his grip on his sword. He approached the Cyclops slowly, who grinned maniacally and spoke in his mother's voice, "You wouldn't attack your own mother! I have chocolate-chip cookies on the counter. Freshly baked."

Percy paused for a second. He remembered the nightmare, and a single tear fell from his eye.

"Everything is going to be okay."

And Percy unleashed his fury through Riptide. He raised his sword and attacked, forgetting that he was hopelessly outmatched. He jabbed the Cyclops in the belly. When he doubled over, Percy smacked him in the nose with the hilt of his sword. He slashed and kicked and bashed until the next thing he knew, the Cyclops was sprawled on his back, dazed and groaning, and he was standing above him, the tip of his sword hovering over his eye.

"Uhhhhhhhh," the Cyclops moaned.

"Percy!" Grover cried with glee. "Oh my gods!"

"You can't impersonate my mother and get away with it," the son of Poseidon growled. "And you won't be eating my friends tonight."

One stab would end it—one quick strike.

Percy looked around at all the bones. Thalia, Annabeth and Grover would have become like that if the Cyclops finished dinner. For the first time, he noticed stringed necklaces decorated around the hollow skulls of the dead bones. Some of the victims used to be campers. Percy turned back to the sobbing monster with a cold look and stabbed it through its eye. There was a bloodcurdling scream from the Cyclops before he dissolved into sand.

Percy stood there for a moment, absorbing the scene in. He realized he was breathing heavily and turned to face the Yankees cap. He grabbed it and looked up at Annabeth. "This yours?"

Annabeth stared at him critically. It was unnerving actually. She finally spoke: "Yeah."

Percy cut the three of them down from the ceiling, and by then, Thalia had regained most of her senses. The way she acted told him she saw the whole Cyclops encounter. She and Annabeth kind of kept their distance, but they were friendly enough to hang around after watching him utterly annihilate a Cyclops, something not many heroes could do.

"_Di immortales_," Grover exclaimed. "Percy! I can't believe you're here! Everyone thinks you're gone, either missing or dead."

The satyr gave him a goat hug.

Percy laughed. "It's good to see you too, Grover. I see Chiron entrusted you with escorting… uh, you know. Thalia. And her friend too." Percy opened his mouth to say her name, but realized it would have been really weird for her. He didn't want to explain that he'd been dreaming about them. That was a conversation he didn't want to have.

Instead, he gave her the Yankees baseball cap back. She muttered, "Thanks."

"So you know who I am?" Thalia asked challengingly.

"Yeah." Percy spoke in a sarcastic tone. "The legends at camp say that you are the almighty daughter of Zeus and can unleash lightning bolts that can level buildings, destroy cities, and cause the most devastating attack any demigod has ever unleashed: the blackout."

Thalia raised her eyebrows, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Percy grinned. "I'm just kidding. The truth is that Hades' minions are right on your ass and if we don't get moving now we'll all die a horrible painful death down in the Underworld where we'll get our flesh and bones slowly ripped apart over centuries of painful torture."

"Gods, how much time did we lose?" muttered the daughter of Zeus. "Where are the monsters? We left them in Philadelphia, destroyed a legion in Staten Island… killed one just outside of this house."

"They've got to be in Brooklyn by now," Annabeth said.

"Ten to twenty minutes ago they were crossing the Verrazano," Percy said.

Thalia cursed. "Come on. Let's go!"

They dashed out of the house, and Thalia ran for the nearest car. It was pouring heavily now, and Percy could barely see. The monsters were close though. He could almost smell the danger. He turned to Thalia and shouted, "What are you doing?"

"Hotwiring the car!" she yelled back. "We need a way to get to Long Island!"

"You know how to hotwire a car?!"

"Just something I learned. How else do you think we got from Philadelphia to New York and outran the monsters?"

"And you didn't use this method for trying to get to camp easily?" Percy asked incredulously. "Do you know how much easier it would have been if you drove to Long Island a long time ago?"

He could've sworn Thalia was blushing. "It only worked for the first time in Philly," she admitted. "Hotwiring isn't easy. And you're not helping!"

She went back to work.

"Hellhound!" Grover shouted.

Percy wielded Riptide. Annabeth stood next to him with her knife. Fifty yards away stood a lone hellhound, its fiery eyes blazing in the night. Soon, three pairs of red eyes joined him and they began stalking on their prey. Percy stepped forward to help protect Annabeth and Grover, but the daring daughter of Athena stepped forward with him. He locked eyes with her and they seemed to have a mutual understanding: _We'll distract them together._

Like lunatics, they charged forward at the hellhounds. Percy dodged one as it nearly bit his arm off. Then he kicked another in its head. Annabeth was swift; clearly she'd trained long with that knife. She slipped between two as they charged at her. With a lucky swipe, she slashed one across its back. It howled in pain and retreated slightly.

Behind them, the car engine roared to life. Grover quickly got in the shotgun seat. Percy turned to Annabeth and said, "I got you. Go!"

She nodded and took off. All four hellhounds focused on him now. He yelled as he charged the weakest hellhound—the one Annabeth had injured. He stabbed it through its neck, and it crumbled into sand. He immediately turned and bolted for the car. It had turned so that it was perpendicular to the road. Annabeth had taken the right side, so Percy slid across the hood of the car and hopped in. Annabeth saved his life when he slid across the hood by throwing her knife at the hellhound that was about to eat him.

"Hit it!" Percy screamed at Thalia.

She hit the accelerator and burst into the night. Percy caught his breath back as Grover began directing Thalia toward camp. The son of Poseidon turned to Annabeth and said, "Nice throw back there. You saved my life."

Annabeth smiled faintly. "You too. By the way, my name is Annabeth."

Percy extended a hand to shake. "Percy, if we're doing formal introductions."

"You know what I wanna know?" Thalia asked from the driver's seat. "I want to know where the Hades you learned to fight like that."

"He's the best sword fighter at camp," Grover boasted. "He vanished from camp over a month ago, and no one knew why. Everyone thinks he's missing or dead. I knew he would come back one day. Chiron told me that he was feeling overburdened or something. But I'm so excited you're back, Perce. Oh, turn right here!"

"Best sword fighter?" Annabeth gave Percy a curious look.

He flushed. "Grover likes to exaggerate. There's a much more handsome son of Hermes who is, in my opinion, better than I am."

Annabeth looked like she was about to say something, but she decided against it and turned away blushing. Percy gave her a confused look but shrugged it off. Her blonde hair looked brown because it was wet, but her princess curls stayed blonde. It was weird. He wasn't sure why he was thinking about that.

"You think we ditched all the monsters?" he asked.

Grover shook his head. "There's going to be some around camp's borders. I can still smell monster all over you, so it's hard to tell. Actually, what is with that? You smell like you spent the last month inside of a giant monster's stomach. It's kind of gross."

Annabeth scooted away from him a little, but she couldn't suppress the smile which gave away that she was just joking. Still, Percy played along and groaned, "Grover, thanks for the intro! Now the two girls think I smell disgusting."

Annabeth gave him a look. "Actually, you do kind of smell. But so do we. I guess it comes with being on the streets for so long. We don't mind. Right, Thals?"

"Are we really talking about this?" Thalia asked. "We're being chased by monsters and we're talking about how we smell."

"Lighten up a bit, Thalia," Percy said soothingly. "You need to relax."

"Don't tell me to relax!" she shouted. "I'm going to get killed if I don't focus."

"Well, Thalia," Annabeth said, "he is right. There's this old quotation by Victor Hugo where he said 'Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.' I mean, if you just—"

"Oh, sure. I can laugh as a hellhound tears my flesh apart. You just… you just don't know what it's been like. We've been chased from Pennsylvania. We need to get to camp. Maybe then but now, let's focus on not having me killed."

Percy pursed his lips angrily. "Oh, trust me, daughter of Zeus. I know exactly what it's like. Don't be so self-absorbed."

"Really? You know what it's like? Congratulations! Then why didn't the monsters kill you."

"Because only the hellhounds went after me. The skeletons were sent for you."

"You show up, kill a Cyclops singlehandedly, and claim that you know what it's like being a child of Zeus. I think you're the arrogant one here."

"I never said I knew what it's like being a child of Zeus specifically. Are you threatened? You sound threatened."

"I'm not threatened," Thalia exclaimed hotly.

"You sure sound like you are."

"Why don't you shut up?"

"You're the one being stubborn and uptight. You're acting like everything is revolving around you being killed. What about Grover? Annabeth? They'll be killed right alongside you. You all would have died if I didn't save you. You can't deny that."

"I never denied that! I know we would have died. I fell into the trap, and you didn't. Just let me focus on driving."

"Now you're ignoring me," Percy pointed out.

Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not helping."

"Shut up!" exclaimed Thalia. "You're so annoying!"

"You're the annoying one! We're trying to have fun and you just have to ruin it by saying we're on the brink of death. You think I don't know that? I just killed a Cyclops who imitated my horrible step-father Gabe and my dead mom! You think I feel good?"

"How about the both of you shut up?!" Annabeth suggested with a sharp tone. "You're both stubborn, short-tempered and prideful! Now stop arguing pointlessly. If you want to get to camp quickly, Thalia, step on it. And just let it go, Percy. Neither of you are going to win the argument."

Percy looked down. Thalia kept her eye on the road.

For a while, all was silent in the car. But Percy was getting too fidgety. He looked in the rear-view mirror and said, "Sorry, Thalia. Annabeth is right, though. I guess science is right about one thing. Like charges do argue."

"First off, it's like charges repel," Annabeth corrected. "And secondly, that's not what I meant. You guys _can_ be friends. You just… well, you'll probably tear each other's throats apart before that happens. At least from what I've seen."

"You're right, Annabeth," Thalia admitted. "I guess—I guess I'm sorry too."

"Apology accepted," Percy said. He looked out of the window. "Hey, look! We're getting close."

"What is that?" Thalia asked, her voice suddenly full of fear.

"Turn!" Grover shouted. "Turn!"

Percy shifted to look out of the front windshield, but he didn't see much before the car suddenly flipped over. He remembered feeling like he'd been crushed, but everything else was a daze.

He groaned as he peeled his forehead off the back of the driver's seat. "Ow."

"Is everyone okay?" Thalia's voice came.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Percy groaned back.

He shoved his way out of the car and helped Annabeth out. Thalia was helping Grover. Whatever had flipped them had made them go far. The car looked like it'd been to the impound lot and had been partially impounded. The car was stuck in a ditch, and the passenger-side doors were wedged in the mud.

Annabeth squeezed his arm and said numbly, "Is that what I think it is?"

Percy turned and went wide-eyed. Down the road was a huge creature that looked like he was half-man and half-bull. Judging by the giant horns curling from his head, Percy guessed that the creature that had flipped their car was no ordinary monster. He was the Minotaur.

He was easily seven feet tall, his arms and legs like something from the cover of _Muscle Man_ magazine—bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under a vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear. Like bright white underwear… Fruit of the Looms maybe? It might've looked funny if the top half of his body didn't look like it could crush Polyphemus. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.

His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as Percy's arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns—enormous black-and-white horns with points sharper than any spear point Percy had _ever_ seen in his life.

"It's the Min—"

"Percy!" Grover cried. "Don't say his name. Names have power."

Percy knew all about that. Every time he said Kronos' name out loud, he got a shiver down his spine. It was one of the first lessons campers learned, but Percy never really got the hang of it. He was the only camper to call Mr. D by his actual name to his face.

The Minotaur bellowed and charged toward them.

"Run!" screamed Grover.

They scattered as the bull-man charged right past where they'd just been standing. Percy saw hellhounds bounding down the road toward them. If he wasn't hallucinating, there were giant black butterflies following as well. Next would probably be the skeleton warriors. Hades really wanted Thalia dead.

Percy wasn't going to let that happen. People were counting on her survival. And maybe… just maybe, he'd look good in Zeus' eyes for at least a little while.

"We have to get up the hill!" Grover shouted through the rainstorm.

"I don't have a weapon!" Annabeth screamed back. "Thalia, we have to fall back."

"If we get into camp, we can call for backup!" Grover said. "Guards on duty should be at the Big House when it rains. That's not too far if you run."

Percy and Thalia each found the other's gaze and came to an agreement. Thalia ordered, "Annabeth! Fall back with Grover and protect our flank. When Percy and I are halfway up the hill, run for help. We'll hold at the top of the hill. Make sure to grab a weapon and help out where you can!"

"Got it!"

Thalia turned to Percy. "Are you ready for this?"

"We're probably going to die," he said, "but at least I'll end trying to protect camp."

She snorted. "Instead of what? Destroying it?"

He laughed humourlessly. "You have _no_ idea."

The first pack of hellhounds attacked them. Thalia stepped in front of Percy and tapped her bracelet. Percy watched as it expanded into a shield. He couldn't see what was on the shield, but apparently it was scary. The hellhounds leaped away from the shield, but didn't completely back down. They growled and kept their distance from the daughter of Zeus. But that wouldn't save them.

With an ear-piercing scream, Thalia opened her mace canister and hefted a huge spear. Lightning streaked from the sky, bounced off her spear, and incinerated all of the creatures standing before her.

Thalia turned, and Percy got a good look at her shield. It was silver and bronze, with the monstrous face of Medusa protruding from the center. It looked like a death mask, as if the gorgon's real head had been pressed into the metal. Percy wasn't certain about the myths of the origin of the shield, or if the shield could really petrify him, but he looked away. Just being near it made him cold with fear.

"Awesome, isn't it," Thalia said with a smirk.

"Scary," Percy corrected.

The Minotaur finally reached the car. He was sniffing the car. Percy knew that his sight and hearing were terrible so he had to go by smell. The bull-man bellowed once again and picked up the stolen car. He raised it over his head and threw it at them. They dived to opposite sides as the car smashed into the hill. Percy cursed when he saw that he'd rolled closer to the bull-headed beast.

"Thalia!" he shouted. "Go for the hellhounds. I've got Big Meaty over here."

"Big Meaty?" she said incredulously. "_That's_ the best you can come up with?"

"What would you rather have me call him? Ground beef?"

"Just fight the thing!"

She charged at the hellhounds.

Percy saw the Minotaur's eyes follow the daughter of Zeus. He needed to get the attention of the bull-man. "Hey!" he shouted. It wasn't enough. He couldn't believe he was about to say this but he did it: "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"

"Raaaarrr!" The monster turned toward him, shaking his meaty fists.

"I can't believe that worked," Percy muttered under his breath.

But he didn't have much time to think about that. The Minotaur charged. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat. He lowered his head, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at Percy's chest.

Trying not to panic, Percy dove to the side at the last moment. The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned. They were almost a quarter ways up the hill.

"Thalia, pull back!" he called.

She obliged and retreated from her attack. But the Minotaur wasn't so nice. He charged again, but this time, his hands weren't pumping at his sides. They were poised and ready to snatch him no matter which way he dove. He couldn't go left or right and he most certainly couldn't go backwards. The only way was forward or…

Time slowed down.

Percy's legs tensed. He couldn't jump sideways, so he leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck. It kept charging so Percy had to hold on for dear life. Riptide was activated. He just needed a slightest bit of calm. When the beast stopped to turn, Percy took the chance. He raised Riptide and stabbed the Minotaur right through his beefy head straight into the brain. Percy somersaulted off as the Minotaur dissolved into the wind.

Thalia looked amazed as she watched from down below. She quickly composed herself and ran up the hill. Percy looked at the crest of the hill where Grover was waiting anxiously. Annabeth had gone for help. Percy knew the Big House was quite far down in the valley. He was worried Annabeth wouldn't make it in time.

"There are too many monsters," Thalia said. "We have to fall back."

Percy looked down. The skeletal armies had arrived. Units of archers fired at them as they scrambled up the hill. He had to admit that Thalia was an amazing fighter. With her version of Aegis and her large spear, she was nearly unstoppable. It was her that kept the two alive longer than they should have been. She swatted all the monsters away. Percy couldn't face three hellhounds at the same time. Not when they were all pouncing on him.

When they were three-quarters up the hill, Percy thought they were home free. Thalia had let loose another blast of electricity. He could have helped her up the rest of the way before the monsters could get to them whilst they struggled. But the giant winged butterflies showed up. There were three of them. And Percy learned quickly that they weren't butterflies.

They were much worse.

They all had fiery whips, leather skin, and cruel faces. Not only were they hard to kill, but they did some serious damage.

Percy's skin burned when the whips touched his skin. He got dizzy when they flew circles around him. He was intimidated by their evil laughs and cackles. They were like evil flying grandmothers.

"Get them, Thalia! You're the sky expert!"

"Says the guy who can take down a Cyclops _and_ a Minotaur on his own," she shot back.

Letting lose a blast of electricity, she sent the Furies back. They hissed as they let the skeletal armies approach. It was not looking good. Annabeth and the guards were only halfway there when the hellhounds and skeleton warriors attacked as one. Grover hung back, anxious, playing reed pipes to the tune of Hilary Duff or something.

"We can't hold them much longer," Thalia said after plowing through the first couple dozen. "We'll have to fall back further. Aren't there magical boundaries around the camp that protect it or something? That'd be very helpful."

Percy shook his head. "Not that kind of magical barriers. We have guard duty. They protect the borders."

Thalia cursed. A hellhound attacked her flank. She slammed it away with her shield, but that moment of distraction was enough another hellhound needed to strike. It swiped at her and she fell.

"Thalia!" Percy shouted.

Then the most miraculous thing happened. Grover began playing his reed pipes correctly. As if there was a sudden burst of nature magic, Grover leaped forward into the fray playing music from his reed pipes that made the grass around the monsters grow. Vines slithered their way out of the ground to encase the hellhounds and skeletons. Grover was turning the tide of the battle.

"Grover, what are you doing?" Percy exclaimed in surprise.

"Go!" the satyr shouted. "I'm the protector. Go!"

"Where did you get this confidence?"

"Just go!"

Percy had allowed himself to get distracted long enough for a hellhound to leap at him. It slammed into him sending him tumbling a few feet. The monster ended up on top of him, its paws dangerously gripped at his neck. It raised a paw to strike. Percy heard Grover shout "No!" when he stabbed the rhino-sized monster through its back with Riptide.

Immediately, he sat up and went on all fours to look at Grover. Grover was looking at him with a pained expression. Percy realized that the satyr was dying. There was a large scratch across Grover's body, and he was bleeding profusely. He stared in disbelief as the monsters surrounded his best friend and tore him apart.

"No!" Percy tried running after his friend, but Thalia held him back.

"Stop, Percy," she said. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. He wondered how long Thalia had known Grover for. How would she feel about this? It must have been painful.

There was nothing he could do as he watched the monsters surround the body.

"Grover!" Annabeth scream came from behind them. "No!"

When satyrs died, they were usually reincarnated as plants like flowers or trees. To be reincarnated as a laurel was the highest achievement any satyr could achieve because of its value. Percy wondered if there was any other achievement that was greater than that. Grover deserved whatever that was. As Thalia held him back he watched a miraculous scene.

Slowly, Grover began transforming. At first, he was a small tree of some sort until he grew and grew and kept growing. A distant voice spoke in Percy's mind, "I now pass my spirit to my successor as I fade. For his death came too early for our meeting."

Wisps of white smoke rose from the spot where Grover died and floated over to him, Thalia and Annabeth, who'd just arrived. Small parts of the smoke entered their mouths, but the greater part of it seemed to merge with the tree. The hellhounds even seemed mystified at what was happening.

When the tree grew to its full height, there was a blast of white light before a weird force-field-like energy began passing around the borders of Camp Half-Blood. It was like in a movie or a video game when a massive shield was being put up. But as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. For a second, Percy thought whatever was happening had failed. However, when the hellhounds tried to enter the boundaries, the force field wouldn't let them.

Percy stared in awe. Camp had magical boundaries, and it was thanks to a distant, fading voice and the spirit of a brave young satyr. Percy looked back at the tree and gasped. It was the ash tree he'd dreamed of not long ago. Why an ash tree? What was so special about an ash tree?

"An ash tree," Annabeth marveled. "It can be affiliated with sacrifice."

It stopped raining. At least, on the inside of the camps borders. It looked like it was still raining on the outside. Sure, Dionysus could control weather sometimes, but it could still rain. Now, it was like there was an impenetrable border instead of a half-penetrable border.

But the truth hit him like a bullet train hitting a baby rabbit: Grover, the last of the four of his Siren vision, was dead.

All the good memories he had with the satyr flooded into his head and the anger swelled in his chest. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed Thalia's shield and shouted a battle cry. Through tears of anger, he tore through all the monsters standing outside of camps borders. The smart ones fled. The dumb ones fell by his sword.

By the time he was done, he was bleeding, tired and wanted to curl up in a ball again. He wanted to do that a lot these days.

He collapsed to his knees and let a tear drop. "Not you too, my friend."

Two people knelt on either side of him—Annabeth and Thalia—who both looked mournful. Maybe he'd just met them, but after what happened to Grover, he promised himself that he wouldn't let anyone die because of him ever again. Not after his mom. Not after Rose. Not after Grover.

Percy was surprised when Chiron trotted out next to him. He embraced his mentor as Chiron stared into the distance looking like he'd seen this scene a million times.

"Come, child," he said at last. "We have a lot to do."

* * *

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	12. Friendship

******************************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Percy stood at the campfire watching as Grover's shroud burned.

Normally, people didn't make shrouds for satyrs, but Percy felt inclined to. Grover was a person in his own right. He deserved more than just mourning.

Percy was, by no means, a good artist. He didn't want the shroud to be spectacular because that wasn't who Grover was. He wasn't ordinary, but he wasn't extraordinary, so Percy made his shroud very nature-like. The colours resembled that of the forest of camp, and there were a couple pictures of enchiladas, Grover's favourite snack. Percy hoped that would make him feel a little better but it didn't work.

All he could feel was anger. So much anger. He needed to blame someone, and the best bet was himself. He let Grover sacrifice himself. He couldn't hold the monsters back long enough. It was his fault that his best friend was dead.

There were quite a few people who turned out—some who had woken up with the shouting, some who had been on guard duty—but most of the camp was still sleeping. After all, none of them truly knew Grover. Those who did come offered their condolences and hoped that the magical border was truly Grover's spirit protecting camp.

Everybody drifted off to their cabins except for Thalia, Annabeth, Luke, Chiron and Clarisse.

The first three were somewhat hesitant to approach, but the daughter of Ares wasn't afraid to speak her view.

Clarisse was still in battle armour, and she looked a little choked up. Obviously, she wasn't showing it much—she hid her emotions more often than not—but she looked a little sad. Her armour clanked as she slowly walked over. With a gloomy expression, she said, "We've got borders now. I guess… I guess it's more—it's different from last time. But still the same in a way. They both gave their lives to protect camp. At least we know that."

"I suppose so," he replied. "Thanks for sticking around."

She awkwardly looked away. "No… no problem."

Without another word, she stalked off looking like a solider after another day of war.

It was odd of her to act like this, but he knew she was human after all. Like what Chiron said: "Children of Ares have feelings. They just tend to be more aggressive in their pursuits." Nevertheless, he appreciated the small gesture, even if it wasn't super heartfelt.

Thalia and Annabeth were next. They both looked devastated in their own way. Annabeth looked a little teary-eyed, and Thalia kept looking down guiltily, as if she felt it was her fault that he died. Truthfully, he could understand how she felt. The monsters were coming after her. If there were no monsters chasing her, Grover wouldn't have died. The true entity at fault was Hades, if he wanted to go to the extreme.

"He found us two weeks ago in Dover," Thalia said. "You wouldn't think people could become attached in two weeks, but Grover was a good person—good satyr. He had a good heart. We know it. How… how long did _you_ know Grover?"

"Coming on six years." Percy's voice cracked. "Almost."

"Was he your best friend?" asked Annabeth.

Percy nodded. "Yeah."

The two acknowledged that and stared at the burned shroud. Both of them looked thoughtful.

After a minute of silence, Annabeth said, "It's Hades' fault, you know. It's his fault that the monsters came. It's his fault for wanting to kill Thalia. Don't blame yourselves for Grover's death. There was nothing you could have done about it."

"Doesn't matter," he said lowly. With a sigh, he turned to the two. "You guys should head off to the Big House. Chiron will introduce you both to camp and probably set you up with a temporary place to stay in the Big House for tonight. Tomorrow you'll be formally claimed and all that other stuff. Yeah so… Chiron's up there." He pointed up.

Thalia and Annabeth looked up. They gave him a sad look before trudging off to Chiron. Percy watched as the centaur and the two new campers disappeared over the hill. The campfire died out as only he and Luke remained. The son of Hermes inhaled and exhaled deeply as the silence of the night crept back over the camp.

Percy turned to walk away, but Luke spoke before he could leave.

"You didn't bring back the Fleece," Luke said.

"Go back to bed," Percy said through gritted teeth.

"You didn't bring—"

"I know!" Percy spun and shouted. "I know what I did do. I know what I didn't do."

"How could you be so careless?" asked the son of Hermes. "Now half of the plan can't work until later. Do you know how hard it's going to be to get the Fleece now? The Cyclops will be on the lookout now that you've been there recently."

"Are you serious?" The son of Poseidon's glare intensified. With a weak chuckle, he continued, "You've got to be kidding me. Grover just died, and all you care about is the stupid Fleece? You call _me_ careless?"

Luke looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I—I know it's a little sad, but _he_ matters more."

"Matters more?" bellowed Percy. "You're a heartless piece of crap if you think that. Who cares about the Cyclops? Who cares about the Fleece? What does it matter? Kronos can send in another stupid demigod to die trying if he wants it so badly. There are other ways he can heal."

"But the Fleece—"

"You didn't seem to care about the Fleece when you sent that Iris-message."

Luke looked stunned for a moment before he caught himself. "I forgot."

Percy laughed. "What a great excuse. I expected better from a son of Hermes. If you weren't delusional like the Olympians or the Titans, then you'd understand that not everything works out the way you plan. If you are cunning, like some Titans and gods, then you'd have made a back up to your back up to your back up. I'm _never_ going back to the Sea of Monsters unless it is _absolutely_ necessary. I'm not going to go and die for nothing."

"You sound like you're saying _he_ is not a big deal," Luke pointed out.

"We have four years. _Four years_! The prophecy—the Great Prophecy—has something to do with a half-blood of the eldest gods when he or she turns sixteen. It doesn't matter if Kronos rises now; Olympus won't fall until I'm—until Thalia's sixteen."

"What?" Luke looked flabbergasted.

"And until you stop thinking about yourself selfishly, I'm not speaking to you." Percy showed Riptide, in pen form, to him. "If you try _anything_, I will run you through with this. I'm not hesitating."

Luke gave him a stony look. "Some friend you are," he scoffed.

"I only do this because the only memories I have with you are ones of your torturous past, and your vengeful future. I know exactly who you are, but you never show your light. That's what Grover did. And that's something I enjoy being around."

"You're becoming weak," Luke declared. "You're giving in to your emotions."

"Yeah, I have," Percy spat. "But guess what? So have you."

Angrily, he stormed away, leaving a confused son of Hermes to ponder his thoughts alone.

* * *

"Happy birthday, man," Charles Beckendorf congratulated.

Beckendorf was a son of Hephaestus. He was already tall for his age, but Percy knew he was going to grow into a huge dude. He was beginning to build muscles and was already making his mark as one of camp's best forgers of this generation. He didn't talk a lot and was shy, and despite his intimidating look, he was kind-hearted and hardworking.

"Thanks, Beckendorf," Percy said with a small smile.

Generally, people called him by his last name rather than his first name, and it sticked.

Silena Beauregard wasn't far behind. She gave him a quick hug and wished him a happy birthday before jogging off to the Pegasus stables. Other than him, she was the best equestrian that camp had to offer. The pegasi really liked her. And it wasn't just because she was good with animals. Percy knew a couple of the winged horses that fancied the young daughter of Aphrodite. It was amusing and disgusting at the same time. Hopefully it meant that they thought she was pretty. And only that.

Percy wished that his birthday was during summer camp, but camp always ends a couple weeks before school starts up again. His birthday, August 18th, was after everyone left. Well, everyone aside from winter campers. There were a few.

The Stoll brothers—brothers who looked so similar that at first sight they looked like twins—were named Travis and Connor. They were sons of Hermes and were pranksters, to put it simply. There were Beckendorf and Silena. There was Katie Gardner and her sisters from Demeter. There were a bunch of Ares kids, including Clarisse. And a few Apollo campers. And other campers here and there.

It was rather quiet during the winter, which wasn't much of an adjustment for Percy. For Thalia and Annabeth, it had been a huge adjustment from living on the streets alone to living comfortably in a camp with people—aside from the Ares cabin—who actually cared and helped them… mostly.

Annabeth, Thalia and Luke sat around him on August 18th watching the cake as he blew out the candles. The three of them cheered and congratulated him on his birthday.

Thalia was right. It was amazing how far friendships could grow in just a couple of weeks.

"So who made this cake?" Percy asked, eyeing it hungrily.

Thalia and Annabeth both looked at Luke. Luke looked at him. "I—I thought you knew."

He looked at his cake and touched the icing. It was warm. In realization, he shouted "Hit the deck!" and leaped from his seat. Luke followed his lead, obviously figuring out who had made the cake, or at least tampered with it. However, Thalia and Annabeth, confused, sat there as the cake exploded into pieces. Icing splattered everywhere.

"What in the name of—?" Thalia cried out.

"Run!" Connor Stoll shouted at his brother.

"Get back here, you stupid dumbasses!" Thalia shouted as she chased after them. "I swear I will kill you!"

Percy laughed and brushed his pants as he got up. He looked at Luke and gave him an accusatory look. The son of Hermes put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, you told me to show my 'light,'" he said. "Here it is."

Percy rolled his eyes and shoved him back. "You suck."

Luke laughed. "Don't I?"

Percy turned to Annabeth who was wiping the icing out of her hair. He smirked and said, "You look great."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically. "Don't I look great?"

He smiled. Reaching over, he picked up a piece of cake off her head and ate it. "Hey, you know, the Stoll brothers aren't bad at cooking if they can make something like this."

"Did you really just eat that?" asked a disgusted Annabeth. "That was in my hair."

"I'm sure your hair doesn't taste bad, unless you rub dirt on it all day or something." Percy took a piece off her shoulder and popped it in his mouth. "But I'd be amazed if your hair could withstand all that dirt. You know, because it's a pretty golden blonde."

She rolled her eyes. "Idiot." But her red face made it seem funny.

"I'm going to go wash up," Annabeth decided. "Tell me when the _real_ cake gets here, if there is one."

"Oh, there is one," Luke confirmed. "We'll get you back when the real cake is here."

She ran off to the bathroom, her blonde hair flying behind her.

When she was gone, Percy punched Luke in the shoulder. "That's for blowing up my first cake."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Katie and her sisters—I'm surprised none of the guys stayed—are making the second cake right now. I told them not to make it too healthy. You know, considering their mother is the goddess of agriculture, and wheat is big in agriculture. Cake's made from flour and blah blah blah."

"Who was it this time?" a voice said from behind them.

Percy turned to see Chiron staring at the mess left in the dining pavilion. The centaur lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. Immediately, Percy pointed at Luke. Luke gave him a betrayed look as Chiron smiled. "Thank you. Luke, I advise that you clean this up before Mr. D sees this mess and decides to punish you long term for it."

Chiron began to walk away, but he seemed to remember something. "Oh, and if one of you could go tell Thalia it is camp's policy that we do not kill other campers."

Then the centaur left.

"I'll go tell her!" Luke said quickly before running off toward the screams of the Stoll brothers.

"Hey, wait! You're supposed to… You little piece of—" Percy cut himself off. "For the gods' sake, Luke. Why can't you clean up the mess you created?"

Percy looked around. There was no one looking. Maybe he could summon water to wash the food away. He ran to get a bucket and filled it up with water. He cleaned up the mess, summoning water whenever he needed to get rid of the icing. He was almost done, summoning the last little bit of water, when a stunned voice spoke from behind him:

"Percy?"

It was a girl's voice. He spun around at saw Katie Gardner staring wide-eyed at him. She was holding a beautiful cake in her hands, but it juxtaposed the look of horror on her face. Percy slowly stood up and approached her. He took the cake from her and set it down on the table.

"Are you—?" She didn't finish.

"A son of…" Percy continued, trailing off in case she wasn't thinking what he was.

"Po—Poseidon?" She finished.

"You can't tell anyone," he begged. "Please."

"Do the others—"

"Know? No. I can't let them know. I have to wait for the right time… for the right opportunity. This isn't the right time. Especially with Thalia being the daughter of Zeus. If people found out the boy living at camp for _years_ was a child of the Big Three right after she arrived, it would look suspicious. Just promise me, swear to the River Styx, that you won't reveal this to _anyone_ until I'm claimed properly."

"I—I swear to the River Styx."

Thunder rumbled in the sky.

"Thank you. And trust me I'm still the same person. I'm not any different just because I'm the son of Poseidon."

Katie nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. Of course."

He smiled. "And thanks for making this cake. I bet it tastes awesome."

She smiled back. "No… no problem."

Percy watched as Katie jogged back to her cabin. She occasionally looked back. He hoped she could see his reassuring smile. When she was out of his sight, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that hadn't gone awkwardly. He sat down on the bench and ate some of the icing. A smile split his face.

"Sugary," he said.

A couple seconds later, Thalia and Luke entered the pavilion, and they were laughing really hard. They sat down on the opposite side on him on the bench. Thalia looked at the cake and asked, "This one isn't going to explode on us, is it?"

"I'm not sure if you want to blow up the Demeter cabin," Luke said. "Katie and her sisters made this."

Thalia's eyes flickered behind Percy for a moment before she returned her gaze to the cake. Percy was tempted to turn around, but Thalia swiped some icing off the cake and ate it. Percy frowned and said, "Hey! We should wait for Annabeth to return."

"It's sugary," Thalia said with a grin. "It's good. Try some Luke."

He tried some. "Wow, the icing _is_ good. The question is, though, is the cake itself good?"

"Well, when Annabeth gets back we can—"

A hand pushed Percy's head forward, cutting him off, and his face smashed into the cake. Icing coated his face, and he got a mouthful of the floury sponge cake. He lifted his head, cleaned his eyes and turned around. Thalia and Luke burst into laughter, but Annabeth was laughing the most. She cleaned herself up well. But he planned to dirty her up a little more.

He got up from his seat and lunged at her with his icing-covered hand. She dodged the hand.

"And you call yourself the mature one?" Percy snorted.

Annabeth gave him a sneaky smile.

"By the way," Luke said through his laughter, "thanks for cleaning up the mess. You really didn't have to."

"I just didn't want Dionysus to get pissed," Percy shrugged, licking some of the icing off his face. "That's all."

Just then, a sleepy Mr. D entered the dining pavilion and stared at them. He yawned and said, "That's a good look for you, Perry. You should keep it." He lazily trudged out of the pavilion without another word, and the other three burst into laughter again.

"Oh, thank you very much," Percy said sarcastically. "Have fun eating the cake I got my face all over. I'm going to wash up."

He walked over to the bucket of water and used the water inside to clean himself up.

"Are you really using water out of that bucket to wash your face?" Thalia asked.

"What's wrong with that?" he asked. "I mean, it's like taking a bath in a lake or a river or an ocean or something. Pollution but you do it anyway. Besides, the water in here isn't _that_ bad. For example, I could dump this water all over Annabeth in revenge. But I won't. I'm not going to sink down to her level."

"So you're better than me now, huh, Jackson?" Annabeth challenged.

He nodded. "Yup. I'm twelve now."

She laughed. "I turned twelve last month. Got this from my mom." She pulled out her Yankees cap. "It'll come in handy if I ever go on a quest. So technically, I'm older and more mature than you are. Trust me; you would do the same thing… and then some to any other person."

"What makes you think you're so special?"

"You tell me."

Thalia sighed. "I have to wait 'til December 21st. It's so far away."

"Wait, Annabeth's older than you?" Luke asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "But I got the physical strength and power. She uses her mind a lot more than I do."

"You actually use your head?" Percy asked. "Shocker."

She zapped him.

In retaliation, he threw the water at her. It doused her, and part of Luke, and Percy's eyes widened. He knew he was in trouble now. Thalia's eyes crackled with electricity, the same way it had when she was chasing after the Stolls, but it was scarier now that it was directed at him. He ducked behind Annabeth as Thalia stood up, ready to blast him with a lightning bolt as powerful as Zeus' master bolt. Well… maybe half the master bolt's strength.

"Perseus Jackson!" Thalia thundered.

He cringed. "Sorry!"

"Stand up and stop being a coward," she snarled.

"No thanks," he said.

"I will come over there and—"

"Oh no you're not." Percy put his arm around Annabeth's neck and pulled her out from her seat. His forearm fit right until Annabeth's chin, and he squeezed so she wouldn't slip out. Unfortunately, this made it a little harder for her to breathe, but that wasn't his priority at the moment. Annabeth's hands slapped him as she squirmed, but it was better than being blasted by lightning. "Not while Annabeth's like this you won't."

"Let go of me," Annabeth hissed as she clawed at his face.

"Come on, Thalia," he urged. "It was an accident. We're still friends. Friends don't kill each other."

"You better not have ruined my leather jacket," Thalia growled. "Or bad things will happen to you."

He shivered. "I can fix it. I promise. I'll bring it back to you at dinner."

She hesitated for a second. Her eyes blazed as if she was going to smite both him and Annabeth but instead she took her leather jacket off and threw it to him. Percy let go of Annabeth and caught the jacket. Naturally, Annabeth punched him in the shoulder, but against her word, Thalia zapped him in the nuts.

Percy collapsed to the ground in pain. "I did not deserve that."

Thalia smirked. "Yes you did."

"You are a cruel, cruel girl," he groaned.

"As Annabeth would say, 'True friends stab you in the front,'" she said. "An Oscar Wilde quote."

"Who's Oscar Wilde? And how the Hades do you remember anything Annabeth says about books?"

"He was an Irish writer and poet," Annabeth said, clearly insulted. "And he was a son of Apollo. I should kick you in the balls for what you said, but I'll save that for another time." She gave him a sweet smile that was so sweet it looked malicious.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. "Stab each other until we bleed out?"

"It's a metaphorical term, Percy," Luke said.

"I _know_ that."

"I'm just reminding you." Luke put his hands up in surrender again. "You know, in case you forgot."

Percy sighed. "Whatever, I'm going to clean this jacket. I'll see you guys at dinner. If Thalia hasn't hunted me down by then." He gave her a pointed glare.

She smiled innocently.

Percy turned to jog off, but Luke stopped him. The son of Hermes said, "Wait, Percy! Can I ask you something?"

"Sure?" Percy said uneasily.

"Okay, so… it's about _that_ night." Luke gestured toward the ash tree that stood on Half-Blood Hill. "What happened that night? I know it makes all of you uneasy, but whenever we get close to talking about something related to that subject, you all look guilty. There has to be a reason. You couldn't have been fighting the monsters that closely all the way to camp."

Percy glanced at the two girls. Annabeth looked down. Thalia stared straight forward. Percy figured he would have to talk when Thalia piped up: "I thought we were dead when Percy found us. The details of him finding us are fuzzy because I was half out of it. I got a good whack on the head just before he came. But the night started with me, Annabeth and Grover in Philadelphia."

"Philadelphia?"

"I managed to successfully hotwire a car for the first time. I'm way underage, but my mother… she was a drunk. I was young and an idiot. I thought I could learn how to drive. I did without ever getting caught, and Grover, Annabeth and I made it to Staten Island when the first army of skeleton warriors reached us. I—I summoned a bolt and destroyed at least two dozen of them. We kept driving. The car broke down in Brooklyn, and Grover led us into Flatbush. We took some wrong turns, but it wasn't Grover's fault. We had to avoid monsters. He was doing his best."

"We were in front of an old house when the hellhounds found us," Annabeth continued, her face grim in the growing darkness of the late evening. "Thalia summoned another lightning strike, but she couldn't keep it up forever. We'd been running for a while. More monsters were lurking around, so Grover took us into the house to hide. There was an upstairs and a downstairs. We split up to check the place out and we got lost in the corridors. There—there was a Cyclops there. He…" Annabeth shivered. "He imitated our voices."

"I heard Annabeth's voice, she heard Grover's, and Grover heard mine," Thalia added. "We got captured. I could've beaten the Cyclops, but I was too tired. He knocked me to the floor with a good swipe, and I was useless after that. I was dizzy and everything."

"It was Grover first," Annabeth said. "Then I came across the main room. I put on my hat of invisibility, but the Cyclops sniffed me out. I don't know how he did it but he picked me up, dropping my Yankees cap, and tied me up next to Grover. We thought we were done for. The Cyclops started to make a fire. He was preparing to cook us. Thalia knew that it would end sooner or later, and I guess she figured it was her time. But Percy didn't."

"Thanks, by the way," Thalia noted. "I know it's already been a couple weeks but we still haven't thanked you."

"There're a lot of things you haven't done," Percy said with a small smile. "But then I again, I don't expect you to do them all. Then you two just wouldn't be who you are."

"He found my Yankees cap while I was trying to free myself with my knife. The Cyclops suddenly sniffed the air and said something about something being fishy. He knocked Percy away and began imitating voices that I'd never heard before—voices I now know belong to an ugly, horrible step-father, and a deceased mother. Percy was having none of that. And he fought like a whirlwind. It's… it's hard to describe. It was almost as if he'd fought a Cyclops before."

Luke caught Percy's eye. They shared a secret mental message.

"It's hard not to be amazed, but when Grover started boasting about him, it was hard not to be grudgingly appreciative of what he did. He _did_ save our lives. But he was a stranger. I didn't know if I could trust him. I don't think Thalia could have trusted him that easily either. As we drove, Grover and Percy acted like they'd known each other since birth. It was quiet, but I could just sense it. And when Grover… when Grover died, and Percy killed all those monsters, and he cried after, it was heartbreaking. This machine of a monster killer was human. He had weaknesses. He could be prey. That's kind of what drew me to him."

"No offence, Annabeth, but it kind of sounds like you're talking about a boyfriend," Thalia said.

"I was kind of thinking the same thing," Luke replied.

Percy blushed, and Annabeth went so red she looked like a pimple ready to be popped.

"I say 'kind of' because what you said is pretty much my train of thought too," Thalia added. "Don't take this in a bad way, Percy. I like you… but as a friend."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied.

"We're all friends here," she said. "We can trust one another."

"No matter the circumstances," added Annabeth.

Percy and Luke shared a look. It was curious to see a different emotion in Luke's eyes. It was curious to see something other than hatred and the desire for revenge. For the first time since he arrived at camp, Luke actually looked happy to be hanging out like this. Maybe this could last. But if he knew what Luke was thinking, it would be a dark quartet.

_Exploit their weaknesses_, Kronos said. _Turn them._

And for once, Percy shut off Kronos' voice. He ignored it and relished in the moment, because if Kronos was going to rise, he needed every last drop of happiness he could get before time's shadow could pass over and consume them.

* * *

**Hey there, everybody!**

**Clarifications for this chapter: At the end of the first part, when Luke is left confused, Luke doesn't grasp the fact that he's joining Kronos' side due to his anger, which is an emotion. Only later does he realize that fun is a part of everything. The only thing about Luke that Percy believes is true is that Luke is a dark person willing to tear things down and build them new again. Percy believes Luke is mostly coldhearted and lacks some morality, which is a thing Percy believes he is good at: understanding people.**

**Percy, although he dislikes the gods, also desires to be a normal kid. He doesn't want pain, death and destruction, even though he knows it's coming. He wants to live a normal life, and often envies mortals, who live in ignorance. He wants to be generic, like many heroes do. The only difference-SPOILER ALERT-is that a part of his character and personality and beliefs is that he will never want to become the hero. He is just bold in sticking up for his friends and is willing to lead an army to defend what he thinks is right. SPOILER ENDED.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions, ask. Please.**

**Thanks,  
SharkAttack719**


	13. THIEVES!

******************************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Percy sat next to Annabeth. Luke sat next to Thalia. And both boys sat on the window seat.

They were in a bus on their way to Olympus for the first camp field trip in over a decade, according to Chiron. It was the Winter Solstice, a day after Thalia's twelfth birthday, and a select few campers were going to Olympus to watch the gods conduct their Winter Solstice meeting. The campers coming were essentially most of the head counselors of each cabin with a few extras. The most notable were Clarisse, the Stoll brothers, Beckendorf, Silena, and a new guy—Lee Fletcher, a son of Apollo. Those were the people Percy knew best.

It was nerve-racking. It would mark the first time he'd ever been up on Olympus. And it was the site of the most dangerous stunt a demigod could pull off. Luke didn't want to sit next to him because he was afraid they would start talking about the mission, and Thalia and Annabeth would get curious. It was best if they strayed apart.

The girls took that rather well. Thalia, for some odd reason, chose to sit with Luke without consulting Annabeth. It gave Percy a little comfort because he tended to argue more with Thalia than he did with Annabeth. With Annabeth, she had a cooler head when heading into more serious situations, and he enjoyed her company. Not to say that Thalia wasn't a friend. She was… He just felt more comfortable talking with Annabeth.

"I bet the architecture is wonderful," Annabeth sighed. "Don't you?"

The only problem was that Annabeth loved to drone on and on about architecture, which Percy tried to stay awake for. It was hard. It was just like he was in a boring class at school or something. At least, that's what he judged from what he heard about public schools: they were generally boring. Sometimes he wished Annabeth wasn't a walking textbook. He already had a hard time with learning about magical creatures not to mention the architecture of the center of Western civilization.

He began dozing off.

"Percy? Percy? Are you falling asleep again?"

He found a comfortable spot to rest his head against.

A warm hand slithered up the sleeve of his jacket and pinched him hard. At the exact same time, a sharp voice hissed into his ear: "_VLACAS_! Wake up!"

Percy shot up, scared by the sudden outburst. "What the—? Annabeth? You scared me!"

"You were being rude," she claimed.

"Rude?" He remembered her architecture lecture. "Oh, that? Come on, Annabeth. You can't expect me to stay awake when you're talking about architecture. I mean, it's cool and all, but I can't concentrate on that stuff for a long time. You know that! It's like trying to read me a lullaby. I'll fall asleep."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Some things never change. Well, then, what _do_ you want to talk about?"

"I don't know!"

"If there's nothing you want to talk about, I'll just talk to the other two," she said. "Clearly, you are too boring to hang around."

"Whoa, whoa! Wait!"

Annabeth turned.

"I _want_ to talk with you. I just don't know what to talk about."

"Think of something."

Percy frowned. "Well, there _is_ one thing that's on my mind. You have to come closer, though. I don't want… others to hear."

She leaned in closer to him, curiosity blossoming on her face. He stared for a moment too long and stumbled on his words: "Um, well I was wondering… does Thalia, you know, have a—uh, thing for Luke? I mean, does she, um, like him? Because she's always hanging around him, and she looks at him a lot, and, um, she, like, well…"

Annabeth turned with a thoughtful expression on. "Well, Luke is kind of…" She trailed off on her words as she realized what she was saying. She burned a bright red as she looked at the back of the seat in front of her. "I mean, yes. But I—I understand why."

"He's sixteen," Percy said.

"I know."

A nasty feeling crept into his heart, but he pushed it aside. "I don't think it's going to work out," he said.

Annabeth frowned. "Why? Do you have—?"

He shook his head quickly. "No no no! It's just…" He knew she wouldn't understand. And he couldn't tell her anyway. "There's a bad feeling I have about getting too attached to Luke and myself. I don't think either of you would like it too much."

She gave him a mystified look. She stared at him, without saying anything, and seemingly tried to decipher the meaning of those words. He looked out the window to avoid eye contact. He couldn't bear to look at her. If he did, he was afraid he'd let the secret slip.

She pulled out her knife—the Celestial bronze knife Luke had given her when she arrived at camp. Her knife was lost, so he gave her a new one as a present. "Luke gave me this," she said.

"I know," he replied quietly.

Annabeth put her hand on his knee. "We've known each other for almost five months. That's not that long, but I get a feeling that I can trust you. I'm—I'm going to tell you something that I don't normally tell people. Only Thalia knows this. It… it has to do with parents."

Percy looked at her, and her eyes were inviting yet cautious, as if letting too much out would cause her to die.

She took a deep breath. "This is the first time I'm going to see my mother. I'm not sure what to expect because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not many demigods get to see their godly parent in person, but I'm going to be a lucky person who has. I'm afraid she'll look me off. I'm afraid of a lot of things, actually. But worst of all, she'll remind me of my dad."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion curiosity.

"If you had your godly parent, whoever that may be, and a mortal parent, wouldn't you want them to get back together?" She looked wistful, as if she'd dreamed about this many times. "My dad married when I was five. He married a mortal woman and had mortal kids—twins. I was the unwanted child, the accident. Athena favoured my dad, but he never wanted a child. Maybe he did love her for a little while, but it was over before you could even blink.

"Monsters began attacking when I was seven. They lasted four years before they couldn't take it anymore. My step-mother wouldn't allow me to play with my half-brothers. I was isolated—separated from the rest of the family. I was different. I got the message. I ran away. A few weeks later, I was led into the house of this crazy old guy named Halcyon or something like that. It was just on the opposite side of my hometown. There, I met Thalia. We spent the next year together as two sisters in a two-person family. Until we ran into Grover, and by the will of the Fates, we ended up at Camp Half-Blood."

She fingered the lone bead on her necklace, the bead that everyone got at the end of summer. This year, it'd been a lightning bolt, symbolizing the arrival of the first daughter of Zeus. It was Percy's sixth bead. He found himself touching his necklace as well.

"I've loved every moment I had at Camp Half-Blood. Really. But about this trip… I'm afraid about meeting my parent. What's it like for you, an unclaimed child?"

"Trust me," he muttered. "It's like I've met him already."

"Who do you think it is? A minor god?"

Percy sighed. "To put it simply, he's a powerful god. He could probably wipe the floor with many other deities, and that's the part that worries me the most."

"How about your mother?" Annabeth asked, sensing the lack of comfort he had with the topic. He was glad she was perceptive, even if it was to a sensitive topic. "You know a lot more about her. What is—was she like?"

Normally, he didn't like talking about his deceased mother, but with Annabeth, he felt like he could pour his heart out. He began talking about how kind she was to everyone, including his horrible step-father. He remembered memories he thought had been lost forever. He told her about his mom's awesome homemade cookies he still tasted with every sip of nectar he had. The taste would never go away. It would last until he died. Or until someone could replicate it. He began feeling wistful the more he spoke. He wished his mother could come back so bad, but that dream would never come true. He shouldn't have tried keeping his hopes up. But he continued telling Annabeth about how he would love to see his mother in the flesh once more.

"She sounds like a wonderful woman," Annabeth said when he was done.

"She was. I bet she still is in the Underworld, wherever she might be."

"I wish my mortal family was like that."

Percy looked at Annabeth, who stared forward with a sad expression. He pressed his lips together in thought for a moment before he took her hand in his own and squeezed lightly. She turned to him, alarmed.

"Don't worry, Annabeth," he reassured her. "It doesn't matter if you dislike your mortal family or not… maybe they're not bad people. They're just afraid. They don't know how to deal with the monster issue. They don't want you hurt, but by protecting you they're putting themselves in danger, which, I guess, is something mortals don't usually want to do. But even if you don't have a family with them, you have a family with us. Me, you, Luke and Thalia. We're a family."

"I thought you said to not get attached."

He winced. "Yeah, I did."

She stared at him. After a while, she said, "Well, whatever the reason is for trying to distance yourself, listen to your own advice. If we're family, I'm here to help you. That's what a family should do, right?"

He couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I guess so. Also, should we stop holding hands because mine is getting a little sweaty?"

Percy felt a little hot, but Annabeth, for the first time, kept her embarrassment down. Her cheeks only went a light pink as they let go. Both of them faced the front as Chiron rolled down the center aisle. The bus stopped.

"Welcome to the Empire State Building," Chiron said, with a twinkle in his eyes. "We're at the door to Olympus, so I suggest that you find a partner and hold hands because the ride up is going to be a little bumpy."

Percy could've sworn the centaur winked at him, but he tried not to pay attention to it. He was already burning from realizing he'd been holding Annabeth's hand for a while. He didn't need to think about it some more. Yet here he was, thinking about it some more.

"I do _not_ want to know what that means," Thalia said from across the aisle.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Bumpy ride. The way he said it makes me wonder…"

_Oh yeah_, Percy thought. _The ride up is going to be a nightmare._

* * *

The elevator ride wasn't that bad. Of course, all he could imagine was Apollo wearing old hippie clothing and singing ancient songs from way back in the 70s or something, but other than that it wasn't bad at all.

There was a guy at the front desk who seemed to know all about the Greek world. He gave Chiron a security pass and told him to go up to the six-hundredth floor. As far as Percy knew, the Empire State Building only had a hundred two floors so he didn't exactly see how the elevator could go up to Olympus, but there were a lot of things about the Greek world he still didn't understand. He tried not to think about it too much.

The whole group managed to fit up the elevator in one ride, though they were at full capacity, especially with Chiron's wheelchair. Percy ended up getting squished between Luke and Annabeth. It sucked because both of them were of equal size or much bigger.

Percy nearly pushed everyone over to get out of the elevator when the doors opened, but Chiron went first. Everyone piled out after him, but soon the realization that they were on Olympus got to them. Percy stared in wonder at the most marvelous city he'd ever seen. New York was beautiful, especially the skyline in the evening light, but nothing could compare to the beauty of the gleaming white marble buildings that seemed to make Olympus.

From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multileveled palaces—a city of mansions—all with white-columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads would crazily up to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow.

There were precariously perched gardens with olive trees and rosebushes.

He could make out an open-air market filled with colourful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other. Nobody seemed to notice that they were standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air that looked like they were at the height of an airplane.

Wood nymphs giggled and waved as the group passed by. Hawkers tried selling them stuff, and in the park, the nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park. Satyrs, naiads, and a bunch of good-looking teenagers—who might've been minor gods and goddesses—gathered to listen. Some of them turned to watch as the group moved closer to the big palace at the top. They whispered between themselves.

Steps led up to a central courtyard. Past that, the throne room.

It was enormous. It made even the biggest of mortal rooms look like a broom closet in comparison. Massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations.

Twelve thrones, built for beings at least fifteen feet tall, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were full, and then some. There was a human-sized throne at the hearth next to the girl tending the fire in which someone sat. Someone Percy didn't particularly like.

Percy's eyes drifted off Hestia, who tended the fire, to Hades, who was staring at him with contempt. It seemed like the Lord of the Dead had no love for him either.

Percy looked back at Hestia, who gave him a warm smile. He smiled back and nodded to show appreciation.

"Hey, demigods!" greeted a young, clean-shaven man. He had a radiant smile, and a back quiver. "What's up?"

It was Apollo. At a second glance, Percy realized that Apollo looked a lot like Luke, except his expression was a lot brighter and he was older than Luke. He probably could've passed off as Luke's older brother. But he was related to the girl sitting right across from him.

She had auburn hair, silvery yellow eyes that looked like the moon, and was breathtakingly beautiful. At the same time, she looked proud and would probably kill him if he dared to look at her at an inopportune time. He winced when he remembered the fate of Actaeon. She said nothing, but kept her eyes on the demigods.

Percy looked at each of the gods one-by-one, identifying them and how they were acting toward the demigods. The only Olympian he didn't look at was Zeus. The last god Percy dared to look at was Poseidon. Percy watched his father as he turned to face him. Poseidon gave him a small but quick smile before turning away.

Percy understood that Poseidon couldn't give much away. But it was nerve-racking being in the presence of all the Olympians plus another really powerful god that could easily kill him with the snap of his fingers. He noticed Hades smile crookedly. Perhaps the god had heard him.

When he looked at Annabeth, he noticed she was still staring at Athena nervously. He nudged her with his elbow. "That's your mom," he said stupidly.

"I know." She rolled her eyes. "It's just… amazing."

The gods quickly called the Winter Solstice Council in session. They began showing the campers how things on Olympus really worked. But it began on a sour note that would set the tone for the entirety of the meeting.

Hades spoke first. "I have an issue, if I may?"

Zeus gave him a cold look and glanced at Thalia. "You should feel fortunate I invited you up here in the first place, Hades, instead of leaving you to muse on your own in your pathetic underground kingdom."

"I was merely going to bring up a point of discussion," the lord of the dead said innocently.

"And what would that be?" snarled the king of the gods.

Hades gave him a dark look. "You know very well what it is."

Zeus stood up, towering over the human-sized Hades. "How dare you in her presence? You think that it is okay to murder the children of other gods?"

"We made a pact!"

"Back up!" Chiron ordered the campers.

All the demigods backed away from the growing tension between the two powerful deities. Even the Olympians were growing uneasy. Percy glanced at his father, who looked like he was barely keeping his cool.

"Brothers, we have children here," Poseidon said coolly. "If you would both just calm down a little, we would not have to—"

"Be quiet, Poseidon," barked Hades. "You know what you did." He turned back to Zeus. "You forced me into that pact, and if you do not honour it, what kind of horrors have you decided to bring upon your daughter?! Why will you never put aside your raging lust? It is _you_ who commissioned the pact. It should be _you_ who gives in last. But of course, like history has seen, you are _always_ the first. You were the first to survive getting eaten. You were the first to draw that stick. You were the first to claim a wife!"

"You tried and you failed," growled Zeus. "Like _you_ have throughout history. She does not deserve the fate you desire to bring her. You should never _think_ to kill Thalia, not to mention follow through with it."

"Do you have any idea what _you_ did?" Hades bellowed. "You brought down a whole building! For what? You are a murderer yourself. I am only trying to repay the favour, you _swine_!"

"Hades, stop it!" Poseidon insisted.

"Are you taking his side?" laughed Hades maniacally. "You remember all the times he's tried or succeeded in killing your children? More than me! He tried striking them down. He once slaughtered a whole boat full of them. And you take his side?"

"I'm not taking anyone's _side_," Percy's father snapped. "I am just calling for peace. This is no time to be arguing about whether we should kill someone who is standing in this very room."

"Thank you!" said Zeus.

"You're not off the hook, brother," Poseidon shot back. "You still tried to kill him once. It doesn't matter if we agreed not to attack if both still live. I said it once before. You lay a _hair_ on him, and I swear there will be a war."

Lightning flashed outside. Thunder boomed.

"You would not dare declare war," Athena said to Poseidon. "You would not be stupid enough to—"

"Shut your pie hole, Athena, before you make things worse."

She went deathly serious. "How—dare—you—tell—me—to—shut—my—pie—hole?" she said through gritted teeth. "You are an imbecile!"

"Tension is scary,  
Make a single move we're dead,  
Uh-oh, spaghetti-oh."

Apollo frowned. "Wait a minute; I messed up that last line. That was six syllables."

Artemis exploded. "For the _last_ time Apollo, we do not need your haikus to annoy us when Father looks like he's about to destroy everything within a mile's radius."

"I'm just trying to narrate the scene, lil' sis," Apollo said with his hands up in surrender.

"Don't call me that!"

"But I'm your big brother!"

"Apollo, we are twins," she said through clenched teeth. "I helped deliver you. For how many millennia do we have to argue about such a nonsensical topic?"

"Hephaestus is ugly!" Ares shouted.

All eyes turned to him.

"What?" he asked. "I thought we were arguing pointlessly?"

"At least I've got a brain," Hephaestus grumbled. "I'd rather have a brain than be a stupid as a brick. Be happy your girlfriend's got some brain; otherwise I'd be worried 'bout Eros."

"Hey!" Ares exclaimed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Point proven," said the forge god.

Slowly, the conversation delved into chaos, and everyone was arguing with everyone. Thalia looked scared, and she had every right to be. It was one thing for zombies and monsters to attack people, but actual gods? Percy could only imagine the stinging feeling of getting smote with a lightning bolt. He looked up as his dad engaged in a lengthy, heated conversation with Athena. Had his father spoken the truth when he said Zeus had tried to kill him? How had he not known?

Percy remembered the empousa. Was it her?

His gut feeling told him that it wasn't the empousa. It told him that it was something else. He remembered the Gray Sisters telling him Zeus would leave him alone. Was that a lie? Who sent the empousa?

Percy glanced over at Luke, who gave him a devious smile. He understood the message.

_This is going to be easier than we thought_.

* * *

Luke poked him from his fake slumber. "Come on, Percy. We gotta go!"

He pretended to keep sleeping. He dreaded this moment more than anything in his life. More than visiting the site where his mother was killed. He didn't want to be on Olympus whilst Luke ran off with the lightning bolt. He feared that the gods would kill him. But it was a risk that came with the plan.

"Percy!" Luke shook him. "Wake up!"

"I am up," he snapped back. "I'm just—I'm taking a little break."

"We have no time for a break," Luke hissed. "It's now or we're both dead."

Percy exhaled loudly through his nose. He sat up and slid out of the comfy beds that the Olympians had set up for them for the night. Hermes had been kind enough to slip out of the argument, lead the campers to a room, and set up beds. Everyone slept close to their friends, so Luke slept on the bed at his feet, and Thalia and Annabeth on either side. Both of the girls were sound asleep, and the sound of their breathing was calming. He figured that if there had been nothing bothering him, he probably could have listened to them sleeping and done some meditation or something.

But he had a mission to do.

The two of them snuck to the throne room, carefully avoiding any entity, including automatons, that was on the way. When the two crept into the throne room, there was no one there. Only the hearth in the central fire pit burned, giving off a magnificent array of reds and oranges and yellows. Even without the gods, the thrones resonated with power.

At the foot of Zeus' throne was an odd object. It was a two-foot-long Celestial bronze cylinder, spiked on both ends with god-level electrical explosives. It hummed with energy. So much so that Percy thought if he got close to it, he'd burn and die a horrible, painful death.

But Luke showed no such fear. He walked straight up to it and grabbed it. It crackled with energy under his fingertips. There was a dark look in Luke's eyes as he held the master bolt.

"So much power," muttered the son of Hermes hungrily.

Percy quickly grabbed it from his hand and said, "Stop it, Luke. We don't have much time. You said so yourself. Put it in the backpack."

Luke did as planned. The master bolt was in the backpack. Their mission was halfway complete. All Luke needed to do was to get to Hollywood—to the entrance of the Underworld. But when they turned around, Percy caught sight of something lying next to the guest chair by the hearth. It was a helmet—a dark helm that seemed to evoke some of his greatest fears. It was Hades' helm of darkness.

But something about the helm struck him: the way it looked.

His mother's death flashed in his eyes. The shadow of the man looked out into the woods. The helmet seemed to take the shape of Hades' helm of darkness. _The Helm of Darkness encases him in the shadows, yes, but such power would radiate far. The Olympians would know if he was in New York wearing his Helm of Darkness_, Chiron had said.

"Percy?" Luke said in concern.

He snapped back to the present. "It has to be him. Who else would it be?" he said to himself.

"What?" asked Luke.

"The one who killed my mom," Percy said before he could stop himself. "It has to be Hades." He knew he was jumping to conclusions, but the temptation of taking Hades' helm was gnawing at his fingers. All he had to do was step forward and grab it.

"Percy, I don't think that—" Luke suddenly stopped. Percy turned to face him. Luke looked like he was in a trance. Soon, he broke out of it, and an evil smile slowly crept across his face. "We could take it, Percy. Get revenge for your mother. Hades will get what's coming to him."

"Let's take it," he said. "Hades _will_ get what's coming to him."

Luke stashed the helm in the backpack, and Percy bid him farewell. He wished the son of Hermes good luck as Luke departed through Olympus and down to the elevator. Percy watched him from the courtyard entrance as he entered the elevator and disappeared. He stood there for a few moments, taking the scene in, before turning and heading off to bed. When he entered the throne room, however, he saw an eight-year-old girl sitting at the hearth tending it with care. It was a peculiar sight, but even more so when the girl looked over at him and beckoned for him to sit down next to her.

Naturally curious, he sat down next to the girl. She wore simple brown robes with a scarf wrapped around her head. As he watched her tend the fire, she pushed back the scarf to reveal long mousy-brown hair.

"Hello, Percy Jackson," the girl finally said.

She turned to him, and he backed up, startled. Her eyes were fiery red, and not with red irises. Where her eyes should have been were pits of fire. But the odd thing was that the fire was warm and cozy. Like a campfire.

"Are you surprised?" she asked.

"Um, a little startled," he admitted. "Who… who are you?"

"I'm sure a smart boy like you can figure it out," she said, turning back to the hearth. "I tend the hearth. That is my only hint."

The name clicked instantly as soon as he tried thinking. "Hestia," he said.

The goddess smiled kindly at him before turning back to the fire. "What brings you out here in the middle of the night?"

"Oh, uh…" He tried to think of an excuse. "I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to take a walk. You know, collect my thoughts."

"I see," Hestia said. "All right, son of Poseidon. I believe you."

Percy looked down. "Everyone knows who I am, don't they."

"Olympians," Hestia sighed. "We are proud… very proud. Once the name of a powerful demigod passes through, we all inquire to see his or her power. We look to find the potential, and we look to find the threat."

"You say 'we' as if you've been watching me too."

"That is because I have." She poked the coals underneath the blazing fire. "I have watched you since the moment I discovered you. Dangerous monsters. Putting you in a cot with a snake. Of course, your mother found out a Fury had been posing as a teacher and tried to kill you and immediately took you away from there. Luckily, you strangled it. Hades put a Mist over you and your mother to prevent you from remembering."

He went wide-eyed. "Hades knew about me when I was—?"

Hestia nodded solemnly. "He was the first to know aside from your father. After the snake incident, Hades stopped hunting you for a while. He wanted to see what you would become. But the tragic murder of your mother prevented him from watching you closely."

"He killed her didn't he," Percy growled, glaring into the fire.

"Do you think he did?" Hestia questioned. "Do not be too quick to judge, Perseus Jackson."

"Then who did it?" he asked. "Who killed my mother?"

"Alas, I cannot tell you," she said sadly. "I don't know who killed your mother. I only know that Hades and Poseidon were both watching you that night. And the aftermath. Who killed your mother is a mystery to me. The man was concealed in the shadows, but I do think that you will find your mother's killer eventually. Everything takes time."

"My mother was a good woman," he snapped. "She didn't deserve to die that night."

"Your father brought a terrible fate upon you for breaking the oath, and it just so happened that your mother was fated to die that night," said the goddess.

"It isn't my father's fault!" exclaimed the son of Poseidon. "He helped me get to camp!"

Hestia raised her eyebrows. "Is that what a servant of the Titan Lord would say?"

Percy stopped himself. He stared at the goddess with his jaw dropped. "How did you—but… how?"

"I've watched you for a long time, Percy," the goddess said calmly. "We've all seen your actions. Believe me, there are some Olympians who would wish for your death quicker than a heartbeat. Then there are some who are more patient—who would wait it out."

Percy sat there, stunned. _They know_, he thought. _They know_.

"As for your mother, I agree that your mother was a good woman, but beware of labels," she warned. "There are some, who you might know, that do bad things but have good intentions. I'm sure you know that best of any of your friends. At least, you can realize what you are doing before, during and after you do them. Be cautious. As I advise you now, here come the Olympians."

Just as she said that, the Olympians entered, all looking like they'd sat through a group therapy session.

The dread that Percy had felt during the theft came back.

Zeus walked over to his throne and bent down. He suddenly went wide-eyed as Athena gasped. Poseidon was clutching his trident as the king of the gods suddenly exploded in anger. Lightning flashed outside. Thunder rolled like a loud drumbeat. Zeus turned to Percy, and the demigod ducked in fear.

"YOU!" bellowed the Sky God.

Hades' look was just as menacing. He gave Percy a deadly look before snapping his fingers and disappearing. Everyone was too shocked or too busy staring at Zeus to realize Hades was gone.

"Brother, calm down," Hestia said gently.

"Calm down?! CALM DOWN?! _WHERE IS MY BOLT!?_"

"I brought him here, brother," Hestia told him sternly but calmly. "He's been under my watch this entire time. Isn't that right Apollo?"

The god of truth gulped nervously. "Of course, Hestia."

Zeus growled. "Hermes, get the campers back to camp. Apollo, Artemis, Athena and Ares will go search for the bolt. Hera, Demeter, Dionysus are dismissed. Hephaestus, go talk to all the Cyclopes you can about the whereabouts of my bolt. Aphrodite… do whatever it is you do at this time. Help the campers if need be. Hestia, get this impudent upstart out of here before I decide to kill him." Zeus gestured toward Percy. Then he turned to Poseidon. "And dear brother. Might we have a quick conversation?"

Poseidon met Percy's eyes. Percy saw a little warning look the god's eyes and decided to hastily exit.

Everything happened in a quick blur.

He was back at camp before he knew it, and two upset looking girls were screaming at him. Chiron was staring at him with held back emotion, and the rest of the campers looked fearful.

Because above him was the swirling symbol of a trident. He'd been claimed.

And it was at the worst time possible.

* * *

**Uh-oh, spaghetti-oh!**

**As you can tell, Percy clearly goes against his word and his thoughts. He is not the most tactical and strategic guy out there. Trust me, he's smart... he just makes a lot of bad decisions. Bad choices. Stuff that gets him in trouble. I kind of like the part with the Olympians arguing; I wish I'd made that longer, but then it'd just be gratuitous.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy. Read and REVIEW!**

**Just kidding. _BEING_ HERE is plenty already. Views may not be a big thing on FanFiction, but I just hit 17,000 sometime in the past day. That's awesome! Glad to see the 131 favorites and 179 followers. Grazie! For sticking around on a story that has a main concept that's been done. Hell, I've done it myself. Difference is, this is the entirety of PJO in one story.**

**Truly... thanks,  
SharkAttack719**


	14. The Evil Plan Begins

**********************************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"You're… you're a son of Poseidon," Annabeth shouted for the millionth time. "You didn't tell us. I thought you… Argh!"

"How could you not tell us?" demanded Thalia, for the millionth time.

Percy didn't know how to explain it to them. They refused to understand if he told them straight up. They looked like he'd betrayed them, and he wanted to mend the wounds that he'd caused. Even though it really wasn't his fault. He just couldn't reveal it before this point. At least, not publicly. If he revealed it publicly, it would've caused uproar. They just had to understand.

"I've told you two a million times," he snapped. "You _have_ to understand why I couldn't tell you."

"I thought we were friends," Annabeth said.

"Just because we're friends, doesn't mean I can't keep secrets," Percy growled. "I guarantee you that you've kept a secret from Thalia, and Thalia's kept a secret from you."

Thalia growled. "But no secret is as big as this one, son of _Poseidon_. You've been lying to us all this time, saying you're unclaimed. Who knows, you probably could have taken the bolt. Maybe you had an accomplice or something to do your dirty work, you piece of crap!"

"I didn't take the bolt."

"You could've taken it before Hestia found you, given it to whomever, and then they snuck off with it." Thalia, being taller than him, grabbed him by the collar and spat words into his face. "Did you steal it? Who did you get to take the bolt from you?"

Percy shoved her off. "I didn't take the bolt!"

"Liar!" She blasted him with electricity.

He flew back a few feet. He smelled something burning as he stood up. Thalia was fuming. Electrical sparks danced along her arms and legs. Annabeth backed up behind Thalia, as if taking cover from him. She was smart. He was done with diplomacy. He never had the patience, and he couldn't stand being a punching bag. He wasn't going to let the two beat on him just because he didn't tell them the truth. For a simple thing like that, they were making quite a big deal.

Percy uncapped Riptide.

Thalia let loose more electricity from her fingertips, but Percy deflected it. Riptide trembled in his hands as the torrent of electricity slammed against the flat of his sword and deflected into the forest. He didn't know how he managed to do that, but he advanced on Thalia, his eyes blazing with fury.

Their expressions grew from wary to fearful.

He lunged at Thalia, who was trying to get her spear out and had already sprung Aegis. His sword clanked off her shield. She tried to use it as a weapon of attack, but he sidestepped and swung his sword at her side. She was quick to recover, and the sword glanced off the edge of the shield.

"Stop it!" Annabeth shouted.

Thalia managed to get her spear out and jabbed at him. He swatted the tip away with his sword and tried getting in close. Her spear was really long. She did a good job repelling him with her spear, but it wasn't good enough. He feigned a strike one way before rolling to that same side and slamming the butt of his sword into her elbow. A grin spread across his face when she dropped her spear. He'd hit a nerve and caused a minor shock.

He swept his leg under hers and knocked her over before planting a foot on her chest. The tip of Riptide was at her neck. With one movement, she could die.

_Kill her_, hissed Kronos' voice_. Kill her and solidify yourself as the child of the prophecy._

"Percy, stop!" Annabeth reasoned. "There's no reason to continue. You've won."

_Kill her!_ Kronos shouted.

Percy pulled away and capped Riptide. He offered Thalia a hand to help her up. Surprisingly, she took it. _They're just upset_, the logical side of his brain said. _They trust you, and you didn't tell them something as shocking as this. They'll be fine soon enough._

"I didn't take the bolt," Percy said affirmatively. "I'd never do something that crazy."

Just then, Luke appeared behind the two girls on top of the hill. Thalia noticed he was looking behind her, so she turned around. She went wide-eyed and bounded over to Luke. "Hey, Luke! Where were you? Percy… oh gods, he's a son of Poseidon."

"Oh, really?" Luke pretended to be surprised. "I didn't know."

Percy narrowed his eyes at the son of Hermes. He'd never revealed his godly parent to Luke. And he knew the son of Hermes long enough to tell that he was feigning surprise. To Annabeth and Thalia, however, he was completely surprised. The main thing Percy wanted to know was how he'd gotten here so fast. Only three hours had passed.

"I was in the washroom… well, I was looking for it. I had to… go number two. I didn't hear the commotion. I went back to the room, and a minor god told me everyone had left. I came back here, of course, though there were a lot of monsters I had to get through. But, I mean, I suppose that learning your brother had a kid he wasn't supposed to have has that effect on you. The sky's really stormy."

Percy scowled at the lie.

"I think we all deserve a rest, huh?" suggested Luke. "Why don't you two head off to bed? It'll get your mind off things. Trust me."

"You're going to stay alone with this… Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth said. "Watch out."

"This Seaweed Brain has got nothing on me," smirked Luke.

She blushed and turned. "Come on, Thalia. Let's go. Luke's got this."

Thalia scowled at Percy before turning and following Annabeth back to the cabins.

Once they were out of sight and out of earshot, Luke turned back to Percy. "What in the Titan Lord's name have you done this time, you troublemaking son of a gun?"

"They're overreacting," he complained. "And you're underreacting."

"You can't blame me if the Titan Lord tells me things," Luke shrugged. "What he tells me, he desires me to hear. If he wants me to know your parentage, he'll show me your parentage. And what a lovely father you have. Stealing the helm was genius. Your father is in trouble now. Both Zeus and Hades against him. Bloodbath."

Percy punched Luke across the face. "I don't know what game you're playing, Castellan, but it better stop. You do anything out of line, I'll kill you. Then we'll see if you were a useful pawn for Kronos or not."

"I'm not a pawn," spat the son of Hermes. He wiped his mouth, which was beginning to bleed. "I don't bow down to _anyone_ but the Titan Lord. And once he conquers Olympus, we'll be free. I don't need to bow down to anyone at all. I am my own ruler. I make the rules. I rule the world."

"Why are you early?" Percy demanded. "You were supposed to bring the bolt to Los Angeles."

"I got caught," Luke admitted.

"Already?!"

"It was Ares. I had no chance. I mean, I could've defeated him, but I was too cocky. The Titan Lord promised me nightmares for my failure. The same punishment you received. However, I did manage to get the bolt into a safe spot."

"How? Ares has it."

"_He_ told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares' head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence. Even Athena, the wise old goddess, thought I was in the washroom. So did Chiron. Two of the wisest minds in the world don't suspect a thing."

Percy remembered that Hermes was the one to usher the campers down. Surely, Hermes would have noticed. But he kept quiet. He didn't want to burst Luke's bubble.

"All this talk of revenge, yet I still never see why you're this mad," he said instead. "All this trickery, yet you're only carrying out Kronos' commands. You're his servant more than anything, Luke. You've been brainwashed. _You've_ been tricked."

"Why do you keep going against us, Percy? Why do you always appear to want to betray us?"

"Because this plan is insane!" Percy exclaimed. "Do you know what a war would look like? All life would be obliterated. I'd be the first to taste death. Then it'd be Thalia. All your friends would die because of a stupid war."

"That's the point!" Luke said. "You see, when none of the gods show up with the bolt within the next month, Zeus is going to send Thalia. You will go on that mission. You bring the bolt to Tartarus. I help you by giving cursed shoes. Capture Thalia and Annabeth. Then we'll live together happily after Olympus has been torn down brick-by-brick."

"I know your past, Luke. Why the desperation to tear Olympus down?"

"They're dictators, Percy! They think they're so much better than us. They force us to live under them. They use _us_ as pawns. They think of us as nothing! They think of us as unimportant mortals who will eventually die out, replace us by having sex with the next generation of mortals, and repeat that cycle over and over again. Don't you see? Western civilization is a parasite. It needs to be destroyed."

"I agree to some extent, Luke, but you have to see reason."

"And you need to trust. No wonder you have no friends. No one trusts you because you don't trust anyone. You lie to your friends and you would rather watch a friend die than save them. Grover died because of Hades. Your mother died because of Hades. Zeus tried to kill you. And since when has your dad done anything to help you aside from that _one_ time?"

"Don't you dare say a word about Grover to me," Percy growled. "You never cared for him. He was just another _weakling_ that would die no matter what. You lack that moral conscious most people have. Maybe you did inherit something from your mother: insanity."

"Take that back!"

"Never."

Luke lunged at Percy. The twelve-year-old boy side-stepped and uncapped Riptide. He could still feel the resonating feeling of hitting Thalia in the elbow as he hit Luke with the flat of his sword. The son of Hermes fell to the ground.

"Only relying on your sword, huh?" spat Luke.

Percy ground his teeth before letting loose a bellow that would've woken the entire camp up if it hadn't been up already. Water came rushing through the trees and exploded out of the forest. It felt like the entire creek had bent to his will as it slammed into Luke. He probably could have killed Luke, but Luke needed to be alive for Kronos. Only because of Kronos.

Percy hated Luke's pride and desire for power. Everyone had a bit of that in them, but none went to the extent of Luke's. He understood partially; his mom must have driven him mad by being crazy herself. But Luke's arrogance would be his downfall.

_It's easy to judge others_, Hestia voice said in his head.

Angry, Percy stormed away to the Poseidon cabin, where he'd moved all of his stuff. He jumped into the bed he chose and pulled the sheets over him. He lay there and wept for what seemed like hours. He was angry, frightened. He just wanted this nightmare of a life to be over.

He just did what he did every day: wipe the slate clean and start fresh.

* * *

If Percy went back to the very root of the cause, it would have been Kronos' fault. It was Kronos' fault that Luke needed to take the lightning bolt. It was Kronos' fault that the gods reacted the way they did. It was Kronos' fault that Poseidon was forced to claim him.

Life had pretty much gone back to the way it had been like before Annabeth and Thalia arrived. The notable differences were that Grover wasn't there, and Luke was spending a lot of time with Annabeth and Thalia. He spent most of his time sitting at the beach staring out into Long Island Sound and just musing about. It was a boring life, but what else was he going to do. Kronos ruined his life.

Seeking help a month after the theft, Percy went to Chiron.

The centaur was playing pinochle with Dionysus on the porch of the Big House. As soon as Percy got there, Dionysus threw his hands up in the air angrily. He looked like he just lost. Dionysus looked over Chiron's shoulder and noticed him approaching and scowled. He muttered something quietly to Chiron before snapping his fingers and dissolving into mist.

Chiron turned around slowly, as if wary of his approach.

"Percy," he said warmly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Come here. Sit down if you must."

The two of them spent the next five minutes sitting and watching camp. Everything had become a lot tenser ever since the Winter Solstice incident. Percy tended to avoid people now because nobody really had anything nice to say to him. Either they feared him or they were scared of him. Even Clarisse kept her distance.

"Chiron, I don't know what to do," Percy said at last. "Everything is so messed up."

"How so?" asked the centaur.

"I mean…" he trailed off. He tried to find a way to say it without revealing the secret that he was working for Kronos, though he suspected Chiron knew. "Something happened that I knew was going to happen, yet I'm still angry about it. My… my father claimed me at an inopportune time, and even though I knew it would happen at some point, I wish—I wish that it hadn't happened. It's caused a rift between me and my friends. I don't want the war, the death, the destruction. What would happen if the gods couldn't find the master bolt?"

Chiron sighed and looked off in the distance, like he always did. "That I do not wish to ponder. But I suppose that truth has come and hit us hard. The word I have from Mr. D is that the mortal school break in spring is the final deadline for the gods. After that, they will entrust a hero to do the work as mortals have greater maneuverability and are not as restricted to the ancient laws as the deities are. Zeus suspects no less of you and is keeping an eagle's eye on you to make sure you do not do anything with the bolt."

"I don't have it, though."

"It doesn't matter. It is stolen—something that has never been stolen before. I fear the person responsible is quite a daring individual to steal something of such power from right underneath the noses of the gods. They would also have to be smart to smuggle such a thing away. I have a speculation as to where it is headed."

Percy looked down at the fire burning at the center of the ring of cabins. It reminded him of Hestia's hearth on Olympus. "Hestia told me she knew something about me. Something that I've chosen to do that isn't necessarily good. Do you think, with your speculations that the other gods know exactly what I am up to?"

"Many will be ignorant, if I am to speak the truth," Chiron admitted. "I'm sure the wisest will know or have an idea. Perhaps Athena, but no. I don't think the majority know what you're up to. They just know that you have the power to destroy or save Olympus, and some believe that you are not worth the risk of keeping alive. Some may wonder if you are trying to aid your father into being king of the gods. That is the most logical, barring others."

"Barring other what?"

"Other ideas of the purpose of your actions," he explained.

"Well, I'm not trying to help my father be king of anything. He's already king of his own kingdom."

"The Olympians are prideful, if anything, Percy. They are paranoid, because you stealing it is the more obvious conclusion than to say if, oh, an unclaimed demigod were to take the bolt. I, personally, never have dreamed about such a thing occurring. Though through everything I've been through, I probably should have expected something like this to happen."

The conversation died off as Percy soaked it in. At the arena, he saw Luke and Thalia sparring. The latter was actually beating the former, though with her spear she had a longer reach. Luke was good, but Thalia was better. Perhaps she'd been training because of how he'd gotten into her reach. Because he never thought he did that well against Luke. She was fighting well.

Annabeth was watching them from the stands. Percy couldn't see her eyes from where he was, but he knew they were racing at a million miles an hour trying to analyze the fighting tactics that each fighter was using. That's just who Annabeth was.

He thought about the quest that Zeus would send once spring break came. Thalia would definitely be on it, and so would Annabeth. He knew their third choice would be Luke, but Luke told him that he should be on the quest to trick Thalia and Annabeth. Luke would work better, but if Luke pulled it off, Thalia and Annabeth would die. If Percy knew anything about Thalia and Annabeth, it would be the fact that they would never turn to the Titans' side. Percy, on the other hand, could pull it off, and the two girls could die without feeling heartbroken that a close friend doomed the world—just betrayed.

He swallowed nervously as he shifted in his chair. "It's going to be her, isn't it?"

Chiron followed his line of sight. "Ahh, Thalia. Probably. Zeus will send heroes he trusts, and it would be out of character for Thalia to truly be the thief. I would never suspect her of stealing her father's bolt. I presume Annabeth will go with her, and the third member of the group will be—"

"Me," Percy interjected. "I'm the third quest member."

Chiron had a pained look in his eyes. "Percy, I'm not so sure—"

"I don't care if Thalia approves it or not," he said with finality. "You know how that would sound, wouldn't it? A son of Poseidon returning the symbol of Zeus. If Thalia wasn't here, I would be your first choice to head on the quest, right? What better way to return it than have me do it?"

The centaur said nothing.

"Please, Chiron. Promise me that I can go on the quest with them," he begged.

"Why have you come to me to beg?" Chiron asked. "I cannot force them into accepting you into the quest group. _They_ have to accept you. If they don't, then you are not allowed to go on the quest. It will be her quest. She may decide who her companions are."

"But—"

"There are no 'but's, Percy. Those are the rules for quests. If you want a chance, you will have to make amends."

The son of Poseidon looked back toward the arena. The trio of friends were now laughing, probably at a joke Luke told, and drinking water hanging out like all four of them used to do. They didn't seem bothered by the fact that one of them wasn't there laughing with them. They didn't seem perturbed by the fact that he wasn't hanging out with them.

He felt resentful and angry, but he needed their trust for the whole plan to work. One thing he realized was that Ares would recognize Luke if he went on the quest. That would blow his cover, and everything will have gone down the toilet.

Percy thanked Chiron and made his way down to the dining pavilion. It would be dinner soon, and he wanted some blue Coke.

* * *

He crouched behind the tree as he listened in on the conversation.

"You'd be doing me a huge favour, Silena," promised Luke. "I swear to the River Styx. It won't hurt. Nothing will happen."

The daughter of Aphrodite looked flustered. "Sure. Of—of course, Luke."

"Good girl." Luke sounded like he was talking to a dog. "Now you will tell _no one_ about this, okay? Not even the people you think you can trust the most. If you do…" He left the threat hanging.

"I promise, I won't," she said.

He smiled. "Good. Have a good night's sleep, Ms. Beauregard."

With a dark smile, he left.

Percy stayed in the shadows as Silena clutched the silver bracelet in her palm. She looked around, checking for anybody, when he noticed her eyes locked on him. He accidentally snapped a twig as he tried to re-hide, but knew she'd already seen him.

"Percy!" Silena exclaimed. She looked frightened. Percy realized she knew he was listening in on the conversation. She thought she already broke her promise to Luke. "What—what are you doing here?"

He slowly stood up and raised his arms in surrender. "I know about it," he said. "About what Luke is doing."

"You… you aren't going to turn me in, are you?"

"No," Percy promised. "I won't. I was just… just taking a walk."

"Percy, I—I can't…"

"I swear to the Styx I won't say anything about this. This never happened. Nothing."

Silena looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Thunder rumbled in the sky.

Percy offered to help her back to her cabin if she needed, but she declined, saying she'd rather spend some time on the beach, alone. He nodded in respect and walked away casually, as if he'd just been on a stroll. The truth was that he was scared. Luke was already tricking people into things. It was his charm—his looks. He saw the way girls looked at him. It was only now that he actually thought something of it.

Why did it feel, these days, like everything Luke did was bad? Why did it feel, these days, like everything Kronos willed them to do were things that he didn't want to do? What was the point of joining Kronos?

He wanted to tear Olympus down for their arrogance and their pride, but were those just lies that Kronos was feeding him. No, Chiron had confirmed the gods were like that. He'd been doing a favour to the world, right? But was Kronos any better. Was it really worth destroying the only home he'd ever have? Percy didn't want to rule the world. He didn't want to live in a golden palace.

As horrible as the things that the gods had done, he didn't see why the Titans were any better. Blackmail, terror, all sorts of things like that. There was a reason Kronos was nicknamed the Crooked One.

Yeah, he thought. I have to go on that quest.

* * *

**This is becoming quite repetitive, I know. But there's the final snap now. Percy has finally labelled the Titans bad. Now, despite this, I must clear up that Percy isn't necessarily on the gods' side yet. He appreciates his dad and is happy that his father has claimed him, but he doesn't really like the other gods. Athena and Zeus and Hades are all wanting to kill him, which doesn't exactly thrill him.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter, which is a filler, yes. The Lightning Thief quest will go by rather quickly, though with the way FanFiction works, it won't feel that way, necessarily. I promise to those who like longer chapters, the following chapters will be longer. Not by too much, but still longer.**

**Thanks for reading,  
Sharky**

**P.S. Don't forget to review.**


	15. Quests 'n' Stuff

**************************************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

"So where do we go?" asked Thalia. "The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west," Chiron said. "It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

Percy watched the scene unfold in front of him. Invisible, of course. He stole Annabeth's Yankees cap in the morning specifically for this purpose. She didn't seem very bothered by the fact that she couldn't find it. Or maybe she was just good at hiding her emotions. Or perhaps it was hidden deep in her eyes. She was fidgeting around a lot, as if wondering where her cap went. If he stared hard, he could almost see the worry in her eyes.

"So… California?" said Thalia hesitantly.

"Los Angeles," Chiron specified.

The daughter of Zeus muttered, "Great."

"Hey, Thalia," Annabeth said. "Have you seen my, um, my New York Yankees baseball cap? I think I lost it yesterday. I might've just forgotten it in my cabin but… Have you seen it anywhere?"

Thalia frowned. "You lost your cap? I thought you'd be extra careful with that."

"I'm sorry," the daughter of Athena said quietly. "I've just been… distracted recently. I mean, you know, with what happened three months ago. Whatever, let's just get this briefing over with and go. There's no time to waste. I'll search for it in a bit."

Percy had never seen Annabeth this frazzled, and it was an odd sight. She even looked disorganized. Her hair didn't look like it was brushed; her clothes were wrinkled, as if she'd just taken them out of a drying machine without folding them; and she just looked distracted. Just as she'd described herself. Usually the daughter of Athena was fairly well organized. He wondered what was bothering her.

"Anyway, Los Angeles?" Thalia asked.

Chiron nodded.

"Okay," she said. "So we just get on a plane—"

"Well," the centaur interrupted. "That's easier said than done. First of all, we don't have the money to pay for three tickets to Los Angeles. That is quite a long flight. All the way across the country. And, of course, it would cause some further complications. Some that may not be reversible."

Annabeth and Thalia exchanged a look. "What do you mean?" they said in harmony.

"Two companions may accompany you. Annabeth is one. I believe you desire to have another join; however, a second companion has already volunteered, if you will accept his help."

"Wait, who would—?"

Percy cut Annabeth off by pulling her Yankees cap off his head. He shimmered into existence, much to the chagrin of the two girls. He tossed the hat to Annabeth, who caught it with a stunned look on her face. Before they could say anything, he spoke: "This isn't where I say sorry and beg for your forgiveness. I already know that won't work, even if I am sorry. This is where I say I want to help. This whole mess is my fault, and I want to fix it. You don't have to accept my help. I'll be fine with that. It's an offer."

They looked at each other and seemed to have a telepathic conversation.

Annabeth turned to him. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon."

"And Poseidon is no fan of Athena."

"But…" She emphasized the word. "You're not Poseidon. And I'm not Athena." Percy couldn't tell if the words were being forced or if they were true. "You… Luke said you fight well, and I can't deny that. From what I can tell, you have more experience with fighting than Luke. That is just logic."

Percy felt his heart soar.

Then Annabeth made it crash: "But I don't decide whether you're on the quest or not. That's Thalia's decision."

Thalia glared at him intensely. "Our parents are rivals. But, like Annabeth said, we aren't our parents. You kept a dirty secret from us for a long time, but… but you are a good fighter. You really have a friend in Luke. No matter what we say, he tells us you're a great fighter and you deserve to have lots of friends. He truly means it. It's not even like a clever trick… he's truly means it. If… if Luke is willing to defend you, I guess it's all right."

Percy just stared at her.

"What?" she demanded.

"That was _a lot_ easier than I expected," he admitted.

"Be fortunate you have a good friend," Thalia snapped. "Come on, let's get packing."

It didn't take Percy long to pack. He'd taken nothing on his trip to the Sea of Monsters. This time, he just brought an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack from the camp store. The camp store had also loaned each of them one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. The coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, but Olympians never used less than pure gold.

"I thought Chiron said we didn't have enough money?" Thalia said irritably. "We could've taken a plane."

"That was just because of me. Besides, if we get on a plane, we all die because I'm there. Not a good thing. Like forty thousand feet up… well, maybe less, but still. Very high up in Zeus' territory equals not good for me."

"Forty thousand feet?" Thalia went as pale as chalk. "Screw the plane."

He cocked his head in interest.

Chiron gave all of them each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares. To be used only in emergencies, if they were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded them, even though they knew it. It would cure them of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn them up, literally.

Annabeth carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and Luke's long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve.

Thalia packed similarly to Percy: an extra pair of clothes, a mace canister (a.k.a. her spear), and the extra stuff. Percy kind of wished they weren't so eerily similar. At least they had different tastes in music? Nah, he kinda liked Green Day too.

On top of the hill Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the one-hundred-eyed head of security, Argus. He had a hundred eyes all of his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so Percy could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.

"Argus will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things," Chiron said.

Then Percy heard footsteps behind them.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Thalia straightened up and tried not to look sloppy. Percy suppressed his smile as Luke caught his breath. Percy noticed the basketball shoes in his hand. Those must have been the cursed shoes that Luke had told him about. He could never wear it unless there was an emergency. With his luck, the curse would activate in the middle of Kansas and he'd been lifted into a tornado never to be found again.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told Thalia. "And I thought… um, maybe you could use these."

Thalia took them from his hands.

Luke said, "_Maia_!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels; they startled Thalia so much, she dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Cool," Percy said, trying to further the guise.

"Thanks," Luke said with a grin. "Oh, and by the way, Percy. Make sure you protect those girls going with you. They might be the leaders, but you definitely have the experience. I mean, it was you that killed the Minotaur and the Cyclops that night, right?"

"Thalia did most of the work on the hill," he reiterated. "Like I've said a million times before. Even without the Minotaur, we would've died if it wasn't for her. Granted, I wasn't allowed to use my fishy powers, but still. I think they would still be good if you were on the quest. I just… I have to fix this mess. You understand, right?"

"Of course, bud." The word 'bud' sounded forced. "Besides, I'd trust you with my life. I don't think you trust me with yours, though." Luke's eyes told him to say no.

"No, I don't," Percy said, and Luke gave a discreet nod. "Not yet. Not after our little argument before I left camp. You could have been more reasonable."

"Well, you were being a little bit selfish," Luke's voice turned tense. "Not everything goes your way."

"Whatever." The son of Poseidon flashed him a warning look. "Anyway, thanks for understanding. Take care of camp while we're gone. Make sure nothing happens to Beckendorf… _Silena_… all of them."

"Of course. Well, see ya!"

Percy gave Luke a fist bump. Then the son of Hermes hugged both Thalia and Annabeth.

After Luke was gone, Percy turned to Thalia and said, "You're hyperventilating."

"No, I'm not."

"Are you guys dating yet?"

She blushed. "Shut up, Jackson! Why did I agree to let you to go on the quest?"

She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys. Percy noticed she took the basketball shoes and stuffed them in her backpack.

"You may be good at fighting, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said coolly, "but if you want to have a chance of staying alive, I'm your best bet."

He snorted. "I don't suppose you have a plan, do you, Wise Girl?"

Her cheeks tinted pink. "Don't think you've made up for what you did."

"Never said that."

"Good."

"But your face _is_ pink," he told her.

She turned away. "Thalia's right. Why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

She followed Argus and Thalia down the hill.

Chiron wore a small smile as he told Percy, "You should be careful, Percy. There are many things out there far more dangerous than a Cyclops. I believe you had some generous luck in the Sea of Monsters, from what I've heard." There was a mysterious twinkle in his eyes.

Percy gave him a flabbergasted look. "But I—what… but—how? What?"

"Be careful," the centaur warned. "Take care of your friends. I have a feeling you are the true leader of this quest. Be that as it may, follow Thalia's lead when you need to. You are both natural leaders, and I would hate to see the demise of Western civilization be due to the fact that two young twelve-year-old kids argued too much."

"Of course, Chiron. I'll be careful," he promised.

"Go along, then. Oh, and Percy. Sometimes too much knowledge is bad for you. I've said that before. But sometimes it is the moral and knowing when to yield that is the hardest thing to do."

Percy took one last look at Camp Half-Blood before he walked down to the SUV on his first true quest. He hoped it would go okay. He hoped Annabeth and Thalia wouldn't kill him on the way. The sun in the sky looked like a good omen shining in the bright day. He hoped it would go well. The world depended on it.

* * *

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It had been just three months since he had last been out in the mortal world. But the mortal world seemed like a fantasy. He found himself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall.

"Ten miles," Percy muttered to himself. "Good."

Unsurprisingly, Thalia and Annabeth ignored him. Thalia took shotgun seat whilst Annabeth sat behind her. Percy made sure to lean against the door on his side so Annabeth wouldn't get annoyed with him being so close. He had to make sure every move he made was careful and measured.

Trust would come if he was patient. He wished he was patient.

Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped them off at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side. Percy scowled when he remembered this was close to where his mom and Gabe used to live. Then she kicked him out and died a couple days later. He wondered what had ever happened to that apartment. Had Gabe taken it because his mother was dead? That brought up another point. Where was his mother's body? He never really thought about that. Did the mortals take it? Most of the cemeteries were in Lower Manhattan. They were a little ways away from there. Chiron probably knew.

Hell, probably half the Olympian Council knew. They were nosy when it came to his life. He'd been told many of the gods knew about him, but kept quiet. Was it that obvious? That he was the son of Poseidon?

The rain kept coming down.

After a while, the bus finally came. Percy was relieved when they finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. The two girls sat opposite of him, but they weren't trying to pretend he wasn't there anymore. Thalia told him to sit alone. She sat on the aisle seat so that Annabeth was a little shielded from any problems they could possibly encounter.

It was a good idea.

Percy noticed an old lady boarding the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and his heart skipped a beat. A Fury.

Percy scrunched down in his seat.

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like the first—same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

"Are you two seeing what I'm seeing?" he hissed at the girls.

Thalia's face was pale. "We definitely would be attracting less attention if you weren't a son of Poseidon," she said, though she didn't sound angry. "Is that all three of them?"

"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Thalia said.

"A back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, they were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"Sometimes I wish the Mist would just malfunction or something," Percy groaned. "Do you think the mortals will see three old ladies killing us?"

Annabeth thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof…?"

They hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

The orange-hatted lady got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the restroom."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"Who do they want, me or Percy?" Thalia asked Annabeth hurriedly.

They were running out of time.

"I don't know!" exclaimed the daughter of Athena.

Percy was forced to play his hand: suicide. He stood up and pulled Riptide out. The Furies stopped in their tracks, and Thalia and Annabeth sat there hissing at him to duck for cover, and to "get down, you idiot!"

The Furies began to change. They transformed from old human ladies to old demon ladies. Their faces were still the same—he figured those couldn't get any uglier—but their bodies had shriveled into leather brown hag bodies with a bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

Giant black butterflies. Or moths. Or bats. Or gargoyles. Whatever floats your boat, he thought.

"Perseus Jackson," the center one hissed. She lashed her whip, and it wrapped around his wrist. It was painful, but he refrained from screaming in pain. "You will come with us."

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw _something_, all right.

He flicked the cap off Riptide and slashed down at the whip. The Fury withdrew it before he could cut it in half. A blast of electricity slammed into one of the other Furies. Percy glanced back for the slightest second and noticed Thalia holding her mace canister. But he didn't see Annabeth anywhere. For moment, he was confused, but he didn't have much time to think about it.

The Furies began attacking him again.

He thought some invisible force pushed him out of the way, but he was quickly pounced on by a Fury, so it didn't really register fully in his mind until he realized the Fury had been nowhere near him when he stumbled.

The orange-hatted Fury—though she wasn't wearing a hat anymore—growled and attacked Thalia with a greater force than what she attacked him with. She actually looked like she wanted to kill Thalia. With him, it was different. Percy had no time to ponder why. When the Fury attacked Thalia, Percy body checked her into the seats and out of the aisle.

He kicked backwards at the third Fury, who tried to attack him from behind before hacking down with Riptide. If Riptide had been an axe, and the Fury a person, it would've split the skull right into two pieces. But the third Fury was a monster, and she screamed and exploded into dust.

Suddenly, the bus jerked to the left. Percy yelped as he was thrown to the right. He slammed into the first Fury, again pinning her to the window. The second Fury smacked against the window one seat ahead of him, and Thalia smashed into the window one seat behind him. Just as suddenly, the bus jerked to the right.

Was Annabeth doing that? How irresponsible of her, he thought. But awesome. She was awesome.

She was doing a pretty good job of keeping others out of harm's way. Other than the passengers in the bus, no other cars were harmed.

Percy managed to get a grip on the seats as the bus weaved back and forth. He didn't pay attention to where they were going. All he focused on was getting their stuff. He got Thalia's backpack and tossed it to her. She caught it and slipped it on. Percy put his own backpack on and slung Annabeth's over one shoulder.

By the time he got the bags down, someone hit the emergency brake.

The bus wailed, spun of full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him.

The Furies regained their balance. There were only two of them now.

Percy told Thalia to stay behind him. He leveled Riptide at the first Fury. Thalia pointed her spear at the second.

"You have offended the gods, Perseus," the first one growled. "You shall die."

"No thanks." He stepped forward with Riptide. "I like being alive, thank you very much."

"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," he told her.

"Percy, look out!" Annabeth's voice cried.

The second Fury spun in a circle as a golden blade shimmered into existence and stabbed her right through the heart. She broke like a statue, shattering into pieces before crumbling down to the ground.

The first Fury wailed and lunged for Annabeth. She managed to get a good swipe on Annabeth, who cried out in pain. Percy tackled the Fury, as Annabeth clutched the bloody wound on her arm. The Fury swiped at him, scratching his shoulder. He wrestled with the Fury as her fiery whip lashed around crazily. He could feel the burning sensation of it around him again. It felt like it was wrapped in molten lead.

"Go," he screamed at Thalia. "Take Annabeth!"

Thalia grabbed Annabeth's backpack off his back, somehow, and helped Annabeth out of the bus. Percy felt the razor-sharp claws of the Fury trying to grab at his face. He struggled to break free as his sword arm became constricted against the Fury's grasp.

Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of his neck, and he found renewed strength. He tore himself from the Fury's grasp, knocked her away with the hilt of his sword, and bolted out of the bus.

He rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!"

A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped his photograph before he could recap his sword.

_BOOOOOM_!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told him the Fury wasn't dead yet.

"Run!" Annabeth said. "We have to get out of here!"

They plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, and nothing but darkness ahead.

* * *

There they were, Thalia and Annabeth and him, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind them, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in their noses.

Thalia shook her head in disbelief. "Three Furies. All three at once."

At camp, they were usually taught to never call things by certain names. Everyone followed that rule. Except for Percy. He didn't see what the big deal was. It'd probably be his death someday, but the way monsters found him at nearly every corner made him think saying the name of some pretty bad monsters wasn't such a big deal.

He smiled. Thalia and Annabeth both followed his example. He felt his ego soar.

"Yeah, maybe it was a bad idea to have two children of the Big Three on the quest," Percy noted.

"I actually don't think so," Annabeth said. He looked at her curiously. She said, "Demigods have a distinct smell. The more powerful the scent, the easier monsters can find them; but I don't think regular monsters would swarm us time and time again. The hellhounds were only after us that night because Hades sent them after us. Only really powerful monsters would try to attack us because they can sense that we're powerful."

"You think monsters have brains?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Really, really, really small ones."

"At least we grabbed our backpacks," Thalia said. "Otherwise we wouldn't have any supplies at all, not even ambrosia and nectar."

Percy suddenly remembered that Annabeth had been scratched. Her jacket had been torn, and when Percy stopped her, he saw that she was trying to cover it up. She'd eaten a bit of ambrosia, but the wound was still open.

"Ah, jeez," he muttered. "For the love of Zeus, Thalia! Why didn't you give anything else to her?"

"She didn't want it," said Thalia. "She's as stubborn as us."

"I don't need anything, Percy," Annabeth agreed. "I'll be fine. It's just a cut. I had some ambrosia. I just need something clean to wrap around it. It's okay."

He shook his head. "Here. There's another way to use nectar, in case you didn't know." He pulled his own canteen out and got Annabeth to stretch out her arm. He slowly dripped nectar across the wound, and as her skin absorbed it, the wounds began closing up. He put his nectar away and pulled out his spare jacket and tossed it to her.

Annabeth gave him a confused look.

"To help you with your torn jacket," he said. "We're about the same height, right?"

She bit her lip, as if trying not to smile. "Thanks."

She slid off her torn jacket. He took it from her, stuffed it in his backpack, and slung it back over his shoulder.

They continued in silence—well, silence in terms of conversation—for another mile or so. They'd sloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry, and Percy even slammed into a tree and got a nice-size knot on his head.

After tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for that mile, Percy started to see light up ahead: the colours of a neon sign. He could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food.

For years, Percy lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. The barbecue was great—awesome actually—but he thought it'd be interesting to have burgers and fries sometime. Double cheeseburger. Totally.

They kept walking until he saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell. It wasn't a fast-food restaurant. Instead, he saw a creepy warehouse surrounded by, and probably full of, statues. They were all sorts of sizes, and more often than not, the faces were faces of terror. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for him to read, because if there was anything worse than regular English, it would be red cursive neon English.

To him, it looked like: _ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM_.

"What the heck does that say?" he asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

"I don't care, it smells like cheeseburgers," sighed Thalia. "I want a—"

"Double cheeseburger," she and Percy said simultaneously.

They stared at each other for a second before grinning.

"Hey, the lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar," Thalia agreed.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes.

They stopped at the warehouse door.

Right on cue, the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall Middle Eastern woman—at least, he assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all he could make out. Her coffee-coloured hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're… um…" Annabeth started to say.

"Dead," Percy interjected. He wasn't lying. One of them was. "We're orphans."

"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"I don't like thinking about it," Percy said forcefully.

The woman paused for a moment but that seemed to be enough for her. "Oh, my dears. You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

The warehouse was filled with more statues, just like he thought. There were people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. They were all life-size. He was mostly thinking about the food, though, which was weird. His ADHD usually made him pick out the oddest details.

At the back of the warehouse there was a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything anyone could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Awesome," Percy said.

"Great," Thalia muttered hungrily.

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly. Suddenly, the food seemed less appealing. It was like the food was enchanted or something.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful grey eyes, child."

Percy frowned. How did Aunty Em know her name? Did they introduce themselves earlier? He couldn't remember.

Their hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before he knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.

Percy noticed Thalia chowing down her burger almost as fast as he was eating his. Annabeth quietly slurped her shake, looking around at all the statues.

Aunty Em didn't eat anything. She hadn't taken off her head dress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched them eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at him when he couldn't see her face, but he loved the burger.

"So, you sell gnomes," Thalia said, trying to spark small talk.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?" Percy asked.

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built… most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

Percy felt his neck tingle. He turned and saw a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket.

The detail was incredible, much better than in most garden statues. She looked terrified, and there was something around her neck… like a necklace of some sort.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." It sounded like a sad story.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. Shall we take a walk through the garden?"

Annabeth looked and sounded tense now. He wondered what was wrong. Thalia seemed to be getting suspicious.

They got up and began walking toward the front door.

"You see," Aunty Em said, "a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a… a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

She looked at Annabeth. "Such beautiful grey eyes. My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen grey eyes like those."

As they walked, Percy saw a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, protecting each other with expressions of fear. Why would a woman create such horrible statues?

"How do you get this much stone to work with?" asked Thalia.

"Oh, my dear," said Aunty Em. "I have _all_ the stone I need."

The thought itself paralyzed him.

Stone.

Statues.

Aunty Em.

Aunty "M."

He caught Annabeth's attention. As soon as they locked eyes, he knew she knew.

"My, my," Aunty Em said. "I think I might be sweating. It has been a long time since I've taken this cursed veil off."

Percy turned around and saw her taking the veil off her head. He watched in horror as the veil slowly unraveled. Before anything bad could happen, Annabeth put on her Yankees cap and pushed him to the floor.

"Get down!" she yelled.

Thalia went and ducked behind some statues, as Percy found himself at the woman's feet. He didn't dare look up.

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," Medusa told him soothingly. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."

Magic. It was laced in her voice, just like with Circe. This time, it was a lot harder to fight. He'd been distanced before. This time, the source of the magic was right up close. He fought the urge to obey. Instead, he looked to one side and saw one of those glass spheres that were scattered all around the warehouse and garden—a gazing ball. He could see Medusa's dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents.

How did Medusa die in the myth? He nearly laughed when he remembered the original Perseus killed her whilst she was sleeping. She wasn't anywhere near asleep now. If she wanted, she could take those talons right now and rake open his face.

"They Grey-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," Medusa said, and she didn't sound anything like a monster. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run, Percy!"

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back into a comforting purr. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer."

Percy stared at the ground. "No!"

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "You know what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy. You know what will happen if you reach the Underworld. Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

He ground his teeth. "Better than being killed by you. That'd be embarrassing to tell the other spirits."

Medusa hissed from above him. "Your father and I made a great couple. We loved each other, but Athena turned me into this beast. Poseidon turned his back on me, but I never stopped loving him. You don't need to live in pain, Percy."

Behind the gazing ball, he saw Thalia's head poking out. She was staring at him, as if waiting for a signal.

He looked at the gazing ball, and saw Medusa staring down at him. "You remember, Perseus?" he asked the demon. "I may be a son of Poseidon, but my name is also Perseus. Now!"

Thalia stood up, with her eyes closed, and blasted a bolt of electricity just to the left of Medusa's head. Percy took one last look in the gazing ball to get a feeling as to where Medusa was, before shutting his own eyes and spinning around with Riptide. He heard a sickening _shlock!_, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern—the sound of a monsters disintegrating.

Something fell to the ground a couple feet away from him. It took all his willpower not to look.

Annabeth came up next to him, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil. She said, "Don't move."

Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, her voice trembling.

"Great," he said sarcastically. "Every day routine, you know. Wake up, eat, almost die, and then kill a monster. Then it's bed time. Perfectly normal." He turned to Thalia. "Did you miss on purpose? If you did, that was brilliant. Otherwise I wouldn't have gotten her."

Thalia snorted. "Do you think I'm stupid? Of course I missed on purpose." She was lying.

They found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head. They plopped it on the table where they'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too stunned to speak.

Finally Percy said, "So we have Athena and Poseidon to thank for this monster?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "Unfortunately. But, Percy, how did you figure out it was Medusa that fast? I just realized when you figured it out."

"Try staying at Camp Half-Blood for six straight years without leaving and then you tell me."

"Somehow I doubt that's going to happen."

"Also, were you trying to hint there that I'm stupid?"

"No, of course not. Your head is just usually full of kelp."

"That is very insulting."

"Well, if you'd stop acting stupid, than I wouldn't have to."

Percy turned away from her. He looked at the bagged head. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

What had Medusa said?

_You know what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy. You know what will happen if you reach the Underworld._ _Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue._

He got up. "I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth called after him. "What are you—?"

He searched the back of the warehouse until he found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden.

He went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:

_The Gods (a.k.a. Poseidon)  
Mount Olympus  
600__th__ Floor,  
Empire State Building  
New York, NY  
With best wishes,  
PERCY JACKSON_

"They're not going to like that," Annabeth warned. "They'll think you're impertinent."

He poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as he closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a _pop_!

"I _am_ impertinent," he said.

Annabeth and Thalia shared a look. They knew him well enough. They didn't criticize more.

"Come on," Annabeth muttered. "We need a new plan."

* * *

**New chapter! Thanks for the support. Very generic, canon-like chapter. Nothing to explain here. Not really, at least.**

**Thanks,  
SharkAttack719**


	16. Heights

******************************************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Maybe the three of them weren't their parents, but they were a lot like their parents.

Annabeth and Thalia ganged up on Percy for the most part because that's how it worked up on Olympus. Zeus and Athena were on one side. Poseidon was on the other. The only exceptions he could think of were World War II and the Trojan War.

They were pretty miserable that night.

They camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

With a lot of gratuitous arguing, the three of them managed to take some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but they didn't dare light a fire to dry their damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. They didn't want to attract anything else.

They decided to sleep in shifts. Well, Annabeth and Thalia decided that. Percy volunteered to take first watch.

The two girls were curled up on the blankets and had fallen asleep almost instantly.

Percy stared at the garbage. Grover would have complained about human pollution if he was there. The thought brought a small smile to his face. But then he realized what Grover would actually say. He looked up between the branches of the trees into the night sky. It wasn't cloudy anymore, but he couldn't even see the stars. At least at camp some stars were visible. There was too much light pollution from the concrete jungle of Manhattan to see stars with the naked eye.

Percy sighed. Climate change was always a talk of environmentalists and scientists and politicians. A lot of people refused to believe that "climate change" was a thing, but something just struck him about how badly people were messing up the environment.

He faintly remembered a voice speaking in his head that day Grover died, but he couldn't remember what the voice said specifically. It was a warming feeling, like a breeze of springtime. That's all he remembered. It couldn't be… but it had to be… Percy wondered if the old myth was true… about the satyr. Something inside of him told him that it was. He had a dreadful feeling about the god of the wild.

He thought back to a couple lessons on history he had at camp. Despite all gods being viewed as deities, demigods were still human and progressed like an average human of that time period, as in back then people weren't so worried about the wild. Percy figured Abe Lincoln wasn't the kind of guy going around planting trees on every block.

Percy'd spent so long at camp he never realized just _how_ dirty the mortal world was. Everything was polluted. What could he do about it? Even if he did something… and a thousand other people did the same, there were billions of people on the earth. It would hardly make a scratch.

After half the night, he decided to wake Thalia up. She grunted angrily as she sat up. She looked ready to argue with him, but for a reason he couldn't comprehend, she stayed silent. He lay down on the blankets and prepared to fall asleep. It was slow, but once his mind drifted off, he instantly fell into slumber—another nightmare-filled slumber.

He was standing in a dark cavern before a gaping pit.

Grey mist creatures churned all around him, whispering rags of smoke that he somehow knew were the spirits of the dead. They tugged at his clothes, trying to pull him back, but he felt compelled to walk forward to the very edge of the chasm.

He was back at the beginning—mirror images of his first dreams of Kronos.

_You must bring them here_, the Titan's voice rasped. It felt ancient, cold and heavy. It had been a long time since he dreamed of Kronos. The last time he did dream of the Titan lord, he was on a speedboat that had miraculously made it to Delaware Bay. _Here is where you shall bring the bolt._

Percy wanted to complain that he didn't have the bolt yet, but his voice didn't work.

_Listen to the gorgon_, Kronos said. _I know your hesitation. Bring me the bolt, and I shall forgive for all your thoughts of betrayal. All your thoughts to join the gods._

Percy didn't say anything. He should have expected it. Deities tended to invade on his private life.

The spirits of the dead whispered around him, _No! Wake!_

_You almost have it_, the Titan said, wrapping his unseen and viselike grip around him. _You will have done me a great deed. Your name will pass through future generations as a hero—the hero that helped their saviour deity rise._

_Wake!_ the dead hissed.

_Why listen to the dead?_ asked the Titan. _They are the servants of Hades, the god that killed your mother._

A shimmering image hovered over the void: Percy's mother, frozen at the moment she was killed. Her face was distorted with pain, and the shadowed figure behind her now had a face. It was Hades, eyes full of malice, with his helm of darkness on his head. He was the murderer. He was the killer.

_Mom_, Percy thought sadly. _Mom!_

_Don't listen to him_, one dead spirit said. _He lies!_

_Leave now_, shouted another.

Then a familiar ghost appeared in front of him. She waved her hand backward, and the shimmering image over the void disappeared. She glowed with a ghostly light, barely lighting up the darkness of the cavern. But just her smile radiated brilliantly enough Percy thought he was in the white clouds of Olympus. His mother's spirit.

_Wake, my hero_, she whispered. _Wake!_

Someone was shaking him.

His eyes opened, and it was daylight.

"Well," Annabeth said, "the zombie lives."

Percy stared at the ground in front of him. His heart was rattling in his chest, as if he'd physically been in the dream. His mother… all he could think of was his mother. Why had she directed him away from Kronos?

_Why listen to the dead? They are the servants of Hades, the god that killed your mother._

If his mother didn't want him close to Kronos…

"Hey, Seaweed Brain," said Annabeth. "Are you alright?"

"His brain's probably like a small fish in an ocean inside his head—lost and scared," Thalia joked.

Percy wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Shut up, Thalia."

The daughter of Zeus smirked. "Cute. The little fishy heard me."

"I said shut up!"

"What's your problem?" scowled Thalia.

Percy gritted his teeth. "I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. Let's just… get on our way to Los Angeles. Somehow."

"Actually, I got that covered," Annabeth piped up. "There're Amtrak tracks down that way." She pointed behind him. "We get a train and get to Los Angeles. Obviously, we only use two hundred dollars because we need money for food. For now, I cooked up a great breakfast. Eat up." She threw a bag of nacho-flavoured corn chips from Aunty Em's snack bar into his lap.

Percy leaned against a tree and sighed. "I don't think two hundred dollars is enough for a train ride to Los Angeles. Everything is overpriced."

"We'll find a way," Annabeth shrugged.

"How do you even know there are Amtrak tracks anyway?" he asked.

"Thalia was grouchy that you woke her up, so she woke me up and we talked for a little while before we wandered off," she replied. "We found the Amtrak track after about half a mile of walking."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" He crossed his arms in an X. "Time out. You left me here alone to go on a walk?"

"Don't worry we covered you in the blankets so it would look like you weren't there," Thalia added. "Besides, you fit in with all the garbage lying around."

"It wasn't long," Annabeth promised. "I was just interested to know where we were. I know you can handle yourself, Percy. I mean, it might end up with half the woods flooded, but at least you're safe. On second thought, that might not have been a smart idea."

"'S fine, Anna," Thalia said. "It was my idea to walk off."

Percy looked at her in confusion. One moment, she looked like she was ready to rip his head off. The next, she was taking the blame for leaving him alone. He would never understand the crazy mind of the daughter of Zeus. Well, he would never understand the crazy minds of any female humans. It sucked because he was surrounded by two of 'em.

"Are you gonna eat?" she asked.

Percy looked at the bag of chips in his lap. "I'll eat on the way to the Amtrak station. We should be going. Don't want a war between Olympus and the Underworld, do we now?"

* * *

They spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.

They weren't attacked once, but Percy didn't spend a single moment relaxed.

He did his usual thing and melted into the background because his picture was splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The _Trenton Register-News_ showed a photo taken by a tourist as Percy got off the Greyhound bus. He had a wild look in his eyes. His sword was a metallic blur in his hands. It might've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick.

The picture's caption read:

_This twelve-year-old boy, believed by New York authorities to be the lost son of Sally Jackson, Percy Jackson, is wanted for questioning for the assault of three elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with two teenage accomplices._

"Don't worry," Annabeth told him. "Just lay low and you should be fine. Mortals could never find us." But she didn't sound so sure.

The rest of the day he spent alternately pacing the length of the train (because he had a really hard time sitting still, though he'd gotten better at it) or looking out the windows.

Once, he spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught his eye and waved. Percy waved back discreetly. Looking around the passenger car, he noticed nobody else saw the centaurs. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines.

Another time, toward evening, he saw something huge moving through the woods. He thought it looked like a lion, but he knew lions didn't live wild in America, and the thing was as big as a Hummer.

Its fur glinted gold in the evening light.

Then it leaped through the trees and was gone.

The two hundred dollars had been enough money to convince the Amtrak ticketholder to get them tickets as far as Denver. Normally, it cost more, but he felt sympathetic because he was a homeless kid growing up. Obviously, they couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so they slept in their seats. His neck got stiff. At one point in the night, he woke up and realized he'd been drooling all over Annabeth's shoulder, who was sitting right next to him.

He grimaced. At least it was _his_ jacket.

When he tried to clean it, he woke her up, and when she noticed the drool, she rolled her eyes and muttered, "Seaweed Brain" under her breath. She took off the jacket and insisted she didn't need it at the moment. After she went back to sleep, he decided to use the jacket as a blanket. For her. He covered her up and stood up to take a walk.

He made a trip to the washroom.

Percy looked at himself in the mirror. He looked tired and worn out. His eyes were darker than ever. He quickly rinsed his hands under the water before opening the door and nearly walking into Thalia. She looked about as weary as he did.

"Hey," he muttered.

"Hey," she murmured back.

He awkwardly turned to walk back to his seat, but Thalia called out, "Wait!"

He turned slowly.

"Percy." She looked like she was trying to swallow a giant jawbreaker. "Listen, I'm—I'm sorry about, you know, making fun of your brain or whatever. I just… well, I got caught up in the moment. Annabeth always makes fun of you, but you don't seem to mind, so I decide to jump in and make fun and you get pissed. Which kinda makes me mad, but I guess what I'm saying is pretty annoying."

He pressed his lips together in thought. "Yeah, uh, apology accepted."

She opened her mouth to say something, but ended up yawning. She waved her hand and disappeared into the washroom.

Toward the end of their second day on the train, they passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city.

"I want to do that," she sighed.

"What?" he asked.

"Build something like that."

"You want to build a huge shopping bag handle?"

She shook her head. "No, Percy. You ever see the Parthenon?"

"Only in pictures."

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."

Percy laughed. "You? An architect?"

He couldn't imagine Annabeth trying to sit quietly and draw all day.

Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

Percy watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below.

"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean."

"No no," Percy sighed. "You're right. I'm only good at fighting. I don't think I'll ever create anything. And, well, I was laughing at the idea of you sitting quietly and drawing all day. Not the fact that you wanted to be an architect. But who cares. Watch me blow up the Arch as the son of the god of earthquakes."

She laughed. "With your luck, you probably will."

They pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom said there would be a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

Thalia stretched. She didn't say anything as she woke up, which was odd. Usually she acted tired or grumpy or something that would annoy him, which would cause a chain reaction that would spark a heated argument and they would find themselves on the verge of killing each other. Again.

But when he met her eyes, he could tell she was thinking about what she'd said to him. He knew she was the person he could relate to most. It was almost like they were siblings. The only difference was that they had different parents and they looked nothing alike. Otherwise they were like most young siblings: they argued and fought, they felt similar about lots of things, and they knew what it was like to be powerful and vulnerable at the same time.

They were cousins by definition, so that definitely had something to do with it. But then Annabeth would technically be his niece. That just made everything awkward. Nevertheless, Thalia was his cousin by definition, and he kind of liked it that way.

_She understands the same things in a different way_, he thought. _I understand the Titans. She understands pressure of being a daughter of Zeus. But we both understand what it's like to be a child of the Big Three._

"Come on, Thalia," Annabeth said. "Sightseeing."

"Sightseeing?"

"The Gateway Arch," the daughter of Athena said. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"

Percy wanted to say no, but he figured that if Annabeth was going, she couldn't go alone.

Thalia looked out the window. "We're going _up_ there?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Annabeth.

"Well, we can enjoy the view from here," sputtered Thalia. "I mean, you know, look at it from below."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "If you find it boring, you can stay at the bottom."

"Uh, sure," muttered the daughter of Zeus.

Percy stared at Thalia. There was something Thalia was hiding, and Annabeth seemed to not specifically know what it was.

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. They threaded their way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling him interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Thalia kept passing him jelly beans, so he was okay.

Throughout the entire tour of the place, he had a bad feeling creeping up his spine. Thalia looked a little skittish as well, but Annabeth seemed to be having a blast. Her head was wrapped up in everything so tightly that she wasn't the least bit nervous about being here.

When Percy saw the tiny little elevator car they were going to ride to the top of the Arch, he knew he was in trouble. He hated confined places. They made him go nuts.

"Get over your claustrophobia," Thalia muttered.

"I hate being cramped up in small spaces," he grumbled.

They got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. He wondered what the Chihuahua was, because none of the guards said a word about it.

They started going up, inside the Arch. He'd never been in an elevator that went in a curve, and his stomach wasn't too happy about it.

"No parents?" the fat lady asked us.

She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings."

The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, Sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.

Percy said, "Sonny. Is that his name?"

"No," the lady told him.

She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.

He didn't even realize Thalia's fingernails were digging into his arm until he went to reach for his ballpoint pen. He gave her a bewildered look. She was a lot paler than usual, sort of like a ghost.

"Why are you digging your fingernails into my arm?" he asked calmly.

She gritted her teeth. "I'm feeling nauseous, and I'd rather hurt you than Annabeth."

He could tell she wasn't lying.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded him of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but the Mississippi was gross looking. And he also hated the fact that he was in a confined space six hundred feet in the air. At this rate, Zeus _would_ torch the Arch and he'd be to blame.

Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor.

"No thanks," Thalia muttered.

She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for both him and Thalia, the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.

Percy steered Thalia and Annabeth toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, and was about to get in himself when he realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for him.

The park ranger said, "Next car, sir."

"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you."

Percy glanced back at the fat lady, who was still there. A ghost's icy breath tickled the back of his neck, and he made a stupid decision. "Naw, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom."

Thalia and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were him, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and, of course, the fat lady with her Chihuahua.

He smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Wait a minute. Forked tongue?

Her Chihuahua suddenly jumped down and started yapping at him.

He reached for his ballpoint pen.

"Now, now, Sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth at Percy, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

Percy froze, the ballpoint pen out in his hand. "Urn, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"

"_Chimera_, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

The son of Poseidon backed up in fear.

The fat lady rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, he saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

The Chimera was now so tall it's back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.

Percy didn't move. He knew if he did, the Chimera's blood maw would fly at him and kill him instantly.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honoured, Percy Jackson. My lord rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"I don't think you're that terrible," Percy said. "You're just ugly. That's all."

She howled in anger, and through some sort of unspoken command, she ordered her son to attack him. The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. Percy managed to leap aside and dodge the bite.

He ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.

He couldn't let them get hurt. He told the park ranger, "Stay down, stay low and don't impede. Once the elevator gets here, leave!"

Percy rolled again as the Chimera tried to bite him once again. His fangs nearly decapitated the little boy's father, but they just missed. Percy ran to the other side of the deck and yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!" The Chimera turned as quickly as a viper, and before he could do anything, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot of column of flame straight at him.

He dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off his eyebrows.

Where he'd been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.

_Oh, come on_, he thought. _I didn't actually think I'd blow up a national monument!_

He raised Riptide to defend himself. The Chimera sat back a little, as if waiting for him to attack. He feinted, and the Chimera took the bait. Its serpent tail whipped around, and Percy managed to slice it right in half. The cut off part of the tail dissolved as it fell to the ground, but the rest of the monster was still alive. And it was very angry.

It swatted at him with its goat hooves and hit him hard. He fell to the deck floor and his sword when spinning out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the Mississippi. Before he could even react, he felt the searing hot flames before it even touched his clothing. His immediate reaction was delayed, but he eventually found himself screaming in horror and pain.

The Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. The Mother of Monsters, Echidna, cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son? No more proud, powerful heroes. Mortals foolishly believe morality and mercy will bring them success. Ha! Heroes are like pacifiers. A baby could suck on them. Weak."

The monster growled.

Through the burning fire, Percy saw the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behind his father's legs. They watched in terror as the flames began to burn through his clothes.

"Unfortunately," said Echidna, "as the son of Poseidon, you have a bit of a resistance to fire. You burn less quickly, and that includes your clothes. But don't worry. My son here will ease the pain. You need not serve the faithless gods."

Immediately, Percy thought of Annabeth and Thalia. He didn't come this far to die now. For the first time, he realized how big of a part they both had in his life.

Far, far below, the river glittered.

"Son," Echidna said evilly. "Dinner is served."

Somewhere inside of him, Percy found the strength to resist the flames for just a moment. He felt Riptide in his pocket. He pulled it out, uncapped it and threw it into the Chimera's maw. As soon as the sword left his hands, he jumped.

His clothes on fire, his body burning, he plummeted toward the river.

* * *

**You may be wondering: do the monsters know Percy's allegiance to Kronos? The answer: Yes. Yes, they do.**

**The next few chapters will be fairly generic and canon-like, if I haven't said so already. The differences, of course, would be that of Percy on the Titans' side. Be prepared.**

**If you have any questions, ask me.**

**Thanks,  
Sharky**


	17. The God of Assholes

**********************************************Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

**New option added for the poll. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

The Hermes cabin had a knack for smuggling stuff into camp whether it was Coca-Cola cans, or a TV, DVD player and some movies.

He wasn't sure how they managed to get that into camp, but Percy remembered this one movie he watched where the main characters were free-falling from the sky. They all looked calm and rode the wind like eagles. They didn't seem to register that they were hundreds of feet in the air.

Percy felt like he could do the same. But the truth? His only thought was: Aaaaaagggghhhh!

The river raced toward him at the speed of a truck. Wind ripped the breath from his lungs. Steeples and skyscrapers and bridges tumbled in and out of his vision.

And then: _Flaaa-booom!_

A whiteout of bubbles. He'd never fallen from such a height and figured he'd probably fall so hard that he would embed himself in a hundred feet of mud, but when he dared to open his eyes, he realized he was sinking very slowly, as if the water had cushioned his fall. He laughed nervously as he settled on the river bottom soundlessly.

Looking up he grimaced. Clouds of silt and disgusting garbage beer bottles, old shoes and plastic bags swirled up all around him. It was disgusting.

He looked at the garbage floating by and snatched an old cigarette lighter.

Percy knew he stayed dry in the ocean, but he wanted to try something. He flicked the lighter. It sparked. A tiny flame appeared, right there at the bottom of the Mississippi. He grabbed a soggy hamburger wrapper out of the current and immediately the paper turned dry. He lit the paper on fire with the lighter. The flame burned, but as soon as he let go, the flame sputtered out. The wrapper turned back into a slimy rag.

"So cool," he muttered.

Even in the Sea of Monsters, he never really found the need to speak out loud underwater. For the first time he sounded older when he was submerged.

_Percy_, a voice said. The sound seemed to come from all sides, rippling through the water like dolphin sonar.

"Who's there?" he called aloud.

Through the gloom, the woman appeared. She was the colour of the water, like a ghost in the current, floating five feet in front of him. She had long billowing hair, and her eyes, barely visible, were green like his used to be.

"Hello? Who are you?" he asked.

_I'm a messenger, child. I'm here to give you a message from your father. Go to the beach in Santa Monica._

"What?"

_It is your father's will. Before you descend into the Underworld, the kingdom of his brother, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, Percy, I cannot stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence._

"My father? But, why Santa Monica?"

_I cannot stay, brave one_, the woman said. She reached out and he felt the current brush his face like a caress. _You must go to Santa Monica! And, Percy, destroy the shoes. The curse holds more power than you think it does._

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. "How can the curse hold more power? The shoes—they are—"

She made one more attempt to speak, but the sound was gone. Her image melted away.

Percy cursed. He wanted to understand what she meant. How could a curse hold more power than dragging a body to Tartarus as soon as they got near the cavern? It would stop for nothing until the deed was done. It sounded pretty powerful to him.

He looked out into the mucky water and sent his dad a silent prayer. _Thanks_, he thought.

Then he kicked up through the muck and swam for the surface.

He came ashore next to a float McDonald's.

A block away, every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was surrounding the Arch. Police helicopters circled overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded him of downtown Manhattan; there were a lot of them bunched up together.

A little girl said, "Mama! That boy walked out of the river."

"That's nice, dear," her mother said, craning her neck to watch the ambulances.

"But he's dry!"

"That's nice, dear."

A news lady was talking for the camera: "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch."

Percy laughed in his head. If people saw him fall out of the Arch, they would have seen him landing in the Mississippi. That made no sense.

He tried to push through the crowd to see what was going on inside the police line.

"…an adolescent boy," another reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent boy going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities—"

Percy backed away, trying to keep his head down. He had a long way to go around the police perimeter. Uniformed officers and news reporters were everywhere.

If the stupid mortals thought he was the one that set off the explosion, it wouldn't be good if they saw him.

He made it around halfway when someone cried from behind him, "Percy!"

He turned and saw both Annabeth and Thalia both trying to look angry but failing miserably.

"We can't leave you alone for five minutes!" exclaimed Annabeth. "What happened?"

"I sort of fell."

"Percy! Six hundred thirty feet?"

Behind them, a cop shouted, "Gangway!" The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. I recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck. She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua—"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared." Then she saw Percy. "There he is! That's the boy!"

He turned quickly and pulled Annabeth and Thalia after him. They disappeared into the crowd.

"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

Percy told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, his high-dive act, and the underwater lady's message.

"A summons from your dad?" Thalia asked. If he wasn't hallucinating, he could've sworn she looked jealous. "In Santa Monica?"

Before Annabeth could say anything, they passed another reporter doing a news break, and Percy almost froze in his tracks when he said, "Percy Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago and the boy his believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy Jackson."

They ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.

"First things first," Annabeth told them. "We've got to get out of town!"

Somehow, they made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. They got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver. The train thundered west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind.

* * *

The next afternoon the train rolled into Denver. They hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. They hadn't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, and Percy was sure that was obvious.

"I don't understand, though," wondered Thalia. "Echidna is usually summoned by the Olympians, right?"

Annabeth nodded in agreement.

"That would mean my father summoned it to kill Percy," she concluded. "But killing him will only make things worse. And it's brought us a lot of trouble."

Percy thought about the Greyhound bus that Zeus blew up a few days prior.

"But the attack on the bus was Hades' plan," Annabeth said. "They couldn't be working together, could they? I mean, Zeus hasn't outright said it was Hades' fault, but, well… I don't know, Percy. Maybe Zeus and Hades are working together to kill you. That's the only logical explanation: the lightning didn't come until after Thalia and I were off the bus. Zeus wanted to kill you and you only."

"That wouldn't be fair, Annabeth," Thalia said. "Then my father dooms me to a painful death at Poseidon's hands. It just wouldn't be smart, and I'm sure Zeus has enough common sense not to try killing Percy. And besides, you saw the Fury on the bus, didn't you? The Fury was willing to kill me. They were asking for Percy, as if Hades wanted to personally torture him. The Fury wouldn't kill me if Hades and Zeus are working together."

"True," Annabeth sighed. "It's so confusing."

Percy felt confused too. There was something strange going on. Like there was a fourth force in the mix. But he couldn't grasp who it could be. None of the other gods would dare face the wrath of his father, would they? At the same time, no god would admit they were doing this.

He had a feeling that it was like the case with the empousa. Someone sent the creature after him and made it look like either Hades or Zeus sent them.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth suggested. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"We can't use phones, right?"

"I'm not talking about phones."

They wandered through downtown for about half an hour. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere they turned the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at him, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.

Finally they found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping their eyes open for patrol cars. They were three adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his donuts would figure they were up to no good.

Thalia took out the spray gun. "It's seventy-five cents. I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

She fished out her last bit of change and passed Thalia a quarter.

"Great," she grinned. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

She fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST.

"Ah, Iris-messaging," Percy sighed. "Create a rainbow for the goddess of rainbows and you can message pretty much anyone."

Thalia pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. Later afternoon light filtered through the vapour and broke into colours. Percy flicked a drachma into the rainbow and thought, _O goddess, accept our offering._

"Percy, you're supposed to pray before—"

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

The drachma disappeared in a golden shimmer.

"Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested.

"Why would you request Half-Blood Hill?" Percy asked incredulously. "You're supposed to request for Chiron if you want to talk to Chiron."

"Well, maybe we'll be lucky," Annabeth said.

"Doubt it."

The mist shimmered as an image appeared. Through the mist, Percy saw the strawberry fields of camp, and Long Island Sound in the distance. They seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to them at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!" Annabeth called.

He turned, eyes wide.

"Annabeth!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Percy, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Percy said affirmatively. "Where's Chiron?"

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Thalia all right?"

"I'm good," Thalia said, though she didn't turn the nozzle to see him. "I'm great, actually." She looked like she was nervous.

"What kind of issues are you talking about?" asked Annabeth.

Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

"Chiron had to—what's that noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care if it!" Thalia yelled, looking very relieved to have an excuse to not be around Luke anymore. "Percy, come on!"

"What?" he said. "But—"

She gave Annabeth the nozzle. "We're the brawn, Annabeth is the brains. She can handle talking to Luke."

Before he could argue any more, she dragged him away. They made their way to the next stall where a guy in baggy pants and a loose white T-shirt was preparing to wash his car. Thalia immediately stormed up to the man and shouted, "Turn that music the hell down!"

He gave her a puzzled look. "What?"

"I said, turn the music down!"

The man laughed and turned back to the nozzle he was preparing to pull out. "Man, kids these days. Thinking they can do whatever they want. Punk ass bitch."

"Hey hey," Percy intervened. "What did you just say?"

"I said, punk ass bitch." The man didn't even look sorry. He was about to.

Percy stepped forward to grab the man, but the man turned the water on and pointed it at him. Water sprayed all over him, but he didn't get wet. After a couple seconds, he regained his balance and began pushing the water back. The man, who had an amused look in his eyes before, began to look frightened.

"What the hell is this bullshit?" the man asked. He let go of the nozzle.

Thalia had climbed into his car and turned down the volume significantly.

The man rounded on her. "Hey, watchu think you're doing?"

"Turn the damn music off," she spat back.

"What your language you little piece of—"

Thalia let a blast of electricity loose, and it scorched the man's right hand. He stared at it in disbelief before screaming in terror. He hopped in his car, slammed the door, and as Thalia hopped out, he hit the accelerator and peeled out of the car wash.

Percy and Thalia watched the car speed away before turning to each other and laughing.

"That was awesome!" Percy exclaimed.

They high-fived.

When they turned the corner, and saw Annabeth's face, they both stopped laughing and turned deadly serious. She looked troubled.

"Annabeth, are you okay?" asked Percy. "What did Luke say?"

"I'll tell you at dinner," Annabeth decided. "Come on, let's go."

A few minutes later, they were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around them, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.

Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

Percy said, "We want to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

Percy searched for his money. He showed it to the waitress, who shrugged. She said, "Okay then. What do you three want to eat?"

"Double cheeseburger," Percy and Thalia chorused. "XL French fries. Onion rings and chocolate shakes."

Annabeth tried to contain her smile. "I'll have the same, thanks."

The waitress spun around and marched back toward the kitchen.

"Why do you have to like the exact same food?" the daughter of Athena sighed.

"It makes life easier if we eat together," said Thalia. "We both know exactly what we want, and it just so happens to be the exact same thing. Shake, fries and a cheeseburger."

"Besides, we have more pressing matters right now than what kind of food we like to eat," interrupted Percy. "What did Luke say to you at the car wash? You sounded—looked troubled, like something bad is going on at camp. What happened?"

Annabeth clasped her hands together. "Well, Luke said Chiron had to break up a fight. Spring break is here, and summer campers just got the word about the Zeus-Poseidon standoff. The campers… they're starting to take sides. It's like most of the wars. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus. Hermes, well, the Stoll brothers and Luke are taking Poseidon's side, but the rest of the Hermes campers are taking Zeus' side. There are a few Aphrodite kids who favour Zeus, but Silena's managing to keep most of her brothers and sisters on Poseidon's side. Same with the Hephaestus, though it's more evenly split. Beckendorf thinks you had nothing to do with it."

"What?" Thalia said angrily. "If Percy stole it, why would he be trying to help us find it?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Luke said… he didn't want to take the other side, but he said if he was on Zeus' side, a good argument would be that—that Percy… you're leading us into a trap. You're leading us to death. You have the bolt and have made a deal with Hades to topple Zeus from the throne and make your dad and Hades the rulers of Olympus."

Percy didn't say a word. Was Luke… was he…?

Thalia looked down. "Listen, I—I should tell you two something. Well, mostly Percy but…"

"What is it?" asked Annabeth.

"It's the prophecy," she replied. "Percy, I don't think you've heard it. It goes: _You shall go west, and face the god who has turned, to find what was stolen, and see it safely returned. You shall lose a close friend to an evil plan hatched, and fall to your death without your equal match._ I mean, it doesn't rhyme to the dot, but it does sound quite similar. The Oracle of Delphi used to exist when there wasn't writing or anything but yeah. Just thought I'd put that out there."

"Well, going on what we have, Hades is the god who's turned," Annabeth said, though she looked a little conflicted now. "We'll find the bolt and return it safely. But after that it gets confusing. Losing a close friend… Does that mean that friend will die? And what kind of evil plan could hatch. That last one is really tricky."

"Why would I fall to my death?" Thalia asked worried. "If anything, Percy's the one falling from tall buildings. And, also, who is my equal match. Is that supposed to be a stupid love thing? Or does it mean in strength and power? When I thought about inviting you to the quest, Percy, Luke's words weren't the only thing I was thinking about. If the prophecy means strength and power, and I guess many interests, you're an equal match."

"That doesn't make sense, though," Annabeth frowned. "Why would he be saving you from heights? You're the daughter of Zeus."

Percy looked out the window in thought. Could it mean her falling into Tartarus? The third line made Percy feel scared. Would he die as he tried to save Thalia? Did the Fates cut his string?

Before they could discuss it more, a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.

All conversation in the dinner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather but leather that looked like… well, Caucasian human skin.

He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face he'd ever seen. It was wicked with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that looked scarred from many, many fights.

He looked familiar.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place.

All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress brought out their food as the man approached their table. As she dropped it off, he slid into their booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth against the window.

The waitress gaped at him.

He looked up and said, "You got a problem?"

"Um, no," she managed to say. "W-what would you like t-to eat?"

"Same as the kids." He dropped golden drachmas into her hand.

"Urn, these aren't…"

The man pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

That's when Percy realized who the guy was. He had the same vicious look that the kids from cabin five had. He was Ares, the god of assholes.

"You can't do that," Percy told him angrily. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Ares grinned and took of his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. And unlike Hestia's eyes, his looked dangerous and deadly. "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh? Listen, I can do whatever I want, punk. I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there."

"Yeah, I carry my own weapon." Percy pulled out his ballpoint pen. "I could uncap it right now. Let me just point it at your face."

Annabeth's eyes shot a warning. "Percy, don't—"

"'S okay, little niece. Long as he knows who's boss around here. Anyway, I got a little proposition for you."

"What favour could I do for a god?"

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little… date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?"

The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

Percy wanted to punch the god, but he knew the god was waiting for that. Ares' power was causing his anger. He'd love it if he attacked. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"I don't need to prove my cowardice to a coward," Percy spat through gritted teeth.

Ares' fiery eyes made him see things he didn't want to see—blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield.

"What did you just say?" the god growled.

"You know all about what the ancient Greeks said about you, god of war," Percy said. "There's a reason why Athena was regarded well across the Greek city states. Brain over brawn, nitwit. You're a coward because even with the slightest injury, you'll go crying up to your daddy and mommy, bawling like a baby. Remember the Trojan War?"

"Watch your tongue, punk," snarled the god of war. "You better listen to me because without my help, you'll never find the bolt. You'll never get to Hades in time. You might have money, but money can only get you so far. You got no wheels. Your friends don't have a clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe mortals will live to see another day. Remember this, demigod. No mortals equals no Camp Half-Blood. Your satyr buddy Grover will have died for nothing."

Percy hesitated.

Ares grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west and Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"What interrupted your date?" Percy asked. "Something scare you off?"

Ares bared his teeth, but Percy'd seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me."

He snapped his fingers, and the world spun five times before it focused again. Ares was gone. Both Annabeth and Thalia looked confused, a little scared, and disbelieving.

"Not good," Thalia muttered. "I guess I was right about the prophecy. You _are_ the one that's keeping us alive. But it's not necessarily a good thing."

"Yeah." Annabeth looked suspicious. "Ares said '_Your friends don't have a clue what you're up against_.' Do you know something, Percy? Another secret you won't tell us."

Percy looked at his cheeseburger, which suddenly didn't seem so appetizing.

"I swear to the River Styx I'll tell you when we reach the Underworld and are out of harm's way," he said. Thunder rumbled in the sky.

"Why can't you tell us now?" asked Thalia.

"Truthfully, and I've learned the hard way not to hold back too often, if I tell you what I know, you will abandon the quest. You will abandon me, and the world will be destroyed as we know it. It's—it's that bad. You'll only understand once we reach the Underworld."

"It's really that bad?"

"I swear on my life that you will freak out, even in the Underworld."

Annabeth and Thalia looked at each other. "Us not knowing it won't hinder our progress? Are you sure about that?" asked Annabeth.

"You knowing _would_ hinder it," Percy said darkly.

The two girls seemed all right with that answer. They shifted uncomfortably, and they had mistrusting looks on again. But Annabeth decided, "Let's go to the amusement park."

"Why?" asked Thalia. "Why does Ares need us?"

"Maybe it's a problem that requires brains," Annabeth said. "Ares has strength. That's all he has, like Percy said. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

"But this water park…" Percy licked his lips. "He acted almost scared. What would make a war god run away like that?"

Annabeth took a bite out of her cheeseburger, chewed and swallowed. "I have an idea, but we'll have to find out."

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they found the water park. The sign read WAT R A D, but Percy figured it was called WATERLAND.

The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and ads fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.

"Why would Ares bring Aphrodite here?" Percy asked.

"I don't know." Thalia tugged at the padlock. "So how do we get in?"

Percy pulled out Riptide, slashed the padlock in half, and slammed the gate open with his shoulder. He gestured for the other to enter. "Ladies first."

The shadows grew long as they walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit?

No monsters came to get them. Nothing made the slightest noise.

They found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of—

"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."

"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just—"

"Watch me."

She snatched an entire row of stuff off the racks and disappeared into the changing room.

A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. Her backpack looked like it was stuffed with more goodies.

"You look ridiculous," Percy said.

"And your clothes smell like the Mississippi," she countered.

He remembered the filth of the river and shivered. "Eh, what the hell," he shrugged.

Soon all three of them were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park.

They continued searching for the Tunnel of Love.

When they found it, Percy first thought it looked like a pretty cool place to skateboard. The empty pool was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.

But around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side from them, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!

Percy crept toward the edge and looked down.

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares' shield—a polished circle of bronze.

_What here would spook a god?_ Percy mused.

Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue. "There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "_Eta_. I wonder…"

Percy took a good look at the pool. There were pipes that led out into it. Was that where water came from? He looked up and saw a glass-windowed booth next to one of the Cupids. It looked like the controller's station. He had an idea.

"Thalia," he said. "Do you and Annabeth want to go down there?"

"Sure," Thalia said. "Annabeth, come on."

"Wait, Thalia," Percy called out. "One thing before you go… I need the shoes Luke gave you—the flying ones."

She looked hesitant. "Why?"

"Just a feeling. I'll be the backup. Skies aren't usually my thing, but I'll give it a shot. And up there…" He pointed to the controller's station. "I can help you from up there in case something goes wrong."

"Better try not to make things go wrong, then," Annabeth muttered.

Thalia fished the shoes out of her bag and gave them to Percy. He quickly put them on, leaving his shoes on the concrete ground at the edge of the pool. At first, he only lifted two inches off the ground, just to get a feel for how it worked. By the time the two girls got near the boat, he was hovering over the empty pool without any problems. He didn't care how high he was—it was fun, other than the fact that it felt like something was about to go very wrong.

Percy flew closer to the controller's station.

"Wait," Annabeth said.

"Too late," said Thalia.

"There's another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another _Eta_. This is a trap."

Noise erupted below him, and he realized the pool was turning like one giant machine.

Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. They shot at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.

"Let's go!"

Thalia and Annabeth both ran up toward the net. Thalia blasted electricity at the net, and for a moment, a hole opened up. But just as quickly as it had disappeared, threads wove together quickly to repair the damage. Thalia halted just before smashing into the net.

Percy cursed. No wonder Ares was so freaked out. It was a trap laid by Hephaestus. Of course Ares would be scared of getting publicly humiliated again.

The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding Annabeth and Thalia with illumination, and a loudspeaker voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute… fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight…"

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid. _Eta _is H. He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"

Ten seconds passed in panic. Percy saw the pipes, but Thalia and Annabeth needed to get to the boat.

"Thalia!" he shouted. "Annabeth! Get to the boat! Get to the boat!"

They were halfway when Annabeth looked behind her and screamed.

Percy flew down in a panic.

Crawling out of a place he couldn't see, an army of wind-up creepy-crawlies scuttled at the two girls, as if about to attack them.

"Spiders!" Annabeth cried out. "Sp-sp-aaaah!"

She fell backward in terror and almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots before Thalia blasted them away with her zappy powers. She grabbed Annabeth's arms and dragged her back toward the boat.

The robot spiders looked like they were in the millions. There were so many of them surrounding Thalia and Annabeth. They came from every direction, flooding the center of the pool, completely surrounding them.

It was a trap meant for gods. If he didn't do something, they could be seriously hurt. Or worse.

He flew into the controller's room and started hitting random buttons. Nothing seemed to work. Thalia was struggling to get into the boat herself. Annabeth wasn't much help; she was too paralyzed to do much more than scream.

"Thirty, twenty-nine," called the loudspeaker.

The spiders began to spit out the strands of metal thread, trying to tie them down. There were so many of them. So many.

"Fifteen, fourteen," the loudspeaker called.

"Damn it!" Percy screamed. "Work you stupid machine!"

Why had he chosen to come up here? Why hadn't he gone down with them to fight the spiders? What stupid thing was he going to do next? Go to Olympus and say, '_Hey, Zeus. Your daughter is dead, but at least I got your master bolt for you!_' That would be suicidal.

_Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you_, Ares had said.

Anger swelled in his chest.

"I don't need protection," growled the son of Poseidon. "I'll bring the ocean here."

He closed his eyes and thought about waves, rushing water, the Mississippi River. He felt a familiar tug in his gut. He remembered the uncontrollable whirlpool of Charybdis. He imagined he was bringing that chaos here to counter the spider chaos.

"Percy!" the distant shout came. "Help!"

"Three, two, one, zero!"

Water exploded out of the pipes. It roared into the pool, sweeping away the spiders. Percy flew back out and watched as Thalia pulled Annabeth into one of the seats and fastened her seat belt. The tidal wave slammed into the boat, over the top, whisking the spiders away and dousing them completely. Percy focused on the water and somehow could feel the boat's position just by sensing the water.

The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, some of them smashing against the pool's concrete wall with such force they burst.

Spotlights glared down at Thalia and Annabeth. The Cupid-cams were rolling, live to Olympus.

Percy turned the boat's nose toward the tunnel, the one opening under the net, and sent it flying into the darkness.

He could sense the water and its path. He could feel the water in front of Annabeth and Thalia, splashing against the walls, painting a picture of the TUNNEL OF LOVE in his mind. He guided the boat as best as he could, trying to keep them away from the walls and smashing into stuff.

After a little while, he saw them rocket out of the tunnel toward the exit. If the ride had been in working order, they would've sailed off a ramp between the golden Gates of Love and splashed down safely in the exit pool. But unfortunately for them, the Gates of Love were chained. Two boats were piled against the barricade: one submerged, the other crackled in half.

Annabeth and Thalia shouted something at each other before unfastening their seat belts. Percy knew what they were going to do as soon as they braced themselves. It was crazy, but it was the only they'd get out without getting flattened.

Their boat smashed into the pileup and they were thrown into the air, straight over the gates, over the pool, and down toward solid concrete.

Percy swooped down and grabbed both of them in midair.

He managed to halt their momentum a little bit, but there was too much. Thalia slipped from his grasp and she took a hard tumble, though Ares' shield did stop her from hurting herself too bad. Annabeth didn't slip from his grip. Her fingernails were digging into the back of his hand.

The two of them spiraled toward the ground and smashed into a photo-board. Percy hit the ground hard as Annabeth's elbow landed on his gut. She tumbled to the side as he felt the wind knocked out of him.

Whilst groaning on the ground, he heard Thalia shout, "Show's over! Thank you! Good night!"

The lights shut off. The park went quiet and dark again, except for the gentle trickle of water into the Thrill Ride of Love's exit pool. Percy stood up and looked back at the ride. He growled. Ares was just like his kids, but even worse. He was just a giant bully—someone who made others do his dirty work, someone who put down others to make himself seem better when he was truly a coward.

Was this really what it had to take to get the master bolt?

Thalia hefted the shield on her arm and turned to him and Annabeth. "We need to have a little talk with Ares."

* * *

**YAY! Another chapter. Fairly generic, like I promised. Updates might be slowing down a little bit in the future because I'm writing the future chapters in advance. So currently, I'm writing the 20th chapter. But I'm kind of hooked onto watching anime ATM. Ugh, I want to stop but I can't. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story. I'll get back to writing ASAP, but don't forget:**

**VOTE ON THE NEW POLL! I added a fourth option and it's been influenced by what I've been watching in anime, plus a bit of Hunger Games (just the general nation with surrounding districts idea), plus Percy Jackson, obviously, and a teensy, weensy bit of Ranger's Apprentice (the one with Halt and Willy Treaty). I'll still keep the option to continue writing this story, but as for right now, I'd prefer if you voted for one of the other three stories just because I already know a lot of you want me to continue this one.**

**Don't forget to vote. This is a democracy, so I _will_ put the highest voted one on priority. Then, the next most voted as the next story if I feel like it is something I could write.**

**Thanks,  
SharkAttack719**


	18. Time Lapse

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

**New option added for the poll. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

The war god was waiting for them in the diner parking lot.

"Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Thalia said angrily.

Ares gave her a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled black smith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

"Watch who you're calling stupid, you little—"

"Thalia, shut up," Percy growled. "Not worth it."

Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which Percy could only read because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for dyslexia: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

"You're kidding," Percy said.

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Thalia. Inside were fresh clothes for all of them, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuff Oreos.

"Thanks," Thalia muttered.

Percy grabbed the bag from her and slung it over his shoulder. He could almost feel the master bolt's presence, but neither Annabeth nor Thalia knew. They couldn't know. Not yet.

He looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served them dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt them. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of them.

Percy turned back to Ares, who was giving them a smug look.

"Watch out, punks," he said. "Hades isn't forgiving of trespassers. Especially his brothers' children. You're never coming out of the Underworld alive."

Percy scowled. Ares was just a big bully. He was a coward. He wasn't a powerful god. "You're pretty smug, Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. Percy felt a hot wind in his hair. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street.

Annabeth said, "That was not smart, Percy."

"Stupid gods," Percy snapped. "I wish they didn't exist. Treating us like tools."

He stormed off toward the truck.

Annabeth and Thalia weren't far behind, and after they climbed in the back of the big rig, they closed the doors behind them.

The first thing that hit him was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter.

The trailer was dark inside until he uncapped Riptide. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals he'd ever seen: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some antelope he didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

"Humane zoo transport?" Percy said stoically.

He felt like going outside to beat up the truckers, but just then the truck's engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and they were forced to sit down or fall down.

They huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Annabeth was in favour of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but he pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides, the lion looked pretty hungry. He didn't feel like being eaten alive.

Percy found a water jug and refilled their bowls, then used Anaklusmos to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. He gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope.

Annabeth and Thalia worked on cutting the balloon of the antelope's horn, and when they were done, the daughter of Athena wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but Thalia convinced her that it would be too risky with the truck bumping around.

Percy somehow managed to talk to the zebra—Annabeth suggested it was because the zebra was from the same family as horses were—and told the zebra to tell the antelope and the lion that they would help in the morning. The zebra told him the antelope would understand. The lion… not so much.

When he was done, he noticed Thalia and Annabeth settling in for the night.

Both of them decided to sleep on their backpacks. Thalia was actually lying down and was staring at the dark ceiling. Annabeth sat up and opened the bag of Double Stuff Oreos and nibbled on one half-heartedly.

Percy wondered whether the gods were watching them now in this dark truck, like they had this whole way. He couldn't stop thinking about the Hephaestus trap. Even though he was only on tape for the end, he couldn't help but think the gods were still watching him invisibly or something. That was the part that worried him the most.

Chiron had always told him the gods probably didn't know his true intentions, but if someone like Hades knew about him from a young age, who knew how many gods watched him do all sorts of things. The gods could have been watching him and Luke as they discussed their plans against Olympus.

His thoughts were interrupted when Annabeth spoke: "Hey, Thalia. I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park."

"'S alright."

"It's just…" She shuddered. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," Percy said. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest. Ever since then, Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever side."

"Yeah. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you guys."

"Mhm," Thalia mumbled. "Good call on staying up there, Percy. We would've broken bones if you hadn't slowed the momentum."

"Luke made me swear to protect you guys," he shrugged. "I don't break promises if I can help it."

"You sure?" asked Annabeth.

"Well, I try my best."

"Well, thanks," she said appreciatively.

They rode in silence for a few minutes before Annabeth looked up from her Oreo and said, "Percy, can you… can you come over here for a moment?"

He crossed to the opposite side and sat down to make a triangle between the three of them. He placed Riptide in the middle to act as a source of light. Annabeth took a deep breath and sighed loudly. Percy gave her an expectant look. "What is it, Annabeth?"

"I didn't tell you everything I heard in the Iris-message," she said. "And what Luke said has been bothering me ever since."

"What did he say?" Thalia asked with interest. Apparently she didn't know either.

"It's just that…" Annabeth bit her lip. "How do I put this? Um, well, Luke said he trusts you with his life. But the way he spoke about you at the car wash didn't sound like he was complimenting you. He _did_ say to me once that he hated quests and thought they were a waste of time, and I can't help but notice his tone was always a little hesitant around you. At first, I thought it had to do with him wanting you to trust him. But then there's something waiting for us in the Underworld you know about but can't tell us. It just makes me wonder…"

"Can you trust me?" Percy guessed. "It makes you wonder if you can trust me or not."

"You've saved our lives more than once, Percy, and I'll never forget that. But you can't deny that it _is_ suspicious."

Percy looked down. Why was Luke trying to blow his cover?

"Actually, that is a fair point," Thalia said. "I mean, you _can_ tell us _something_, Percy."

He sighed and stared at Anaklusmos. "You have absolutely no reason to trust me. In fact, you can abandon me any time you want. So far, you two have chosen to stay by me. Mainly because I threatened you, but I mean, you don't have to believe what I say, even if it is partially true. I'm the one most gods are after, because after all, I'm not a child of Zeus."

"What are you talking about?" she frowned. "That's not—"

He wasn't exactly sure what he was saying and why he was saying it, but the more he spoke, the more he realized he was revealing. He was pouring out his innermost thoughts, like wearing his heart upon his sleeve.

"People are more afraid to kill children of Zeus than children of Poseidon," he said. "I just… everything little that has happened since I was a kid hasn't turned out the way I want things to. I can still hear my step-father in my nightmares, like he's a tattoo burned into my flesh. My mom died, and all I could feel was guilt and anger. I wanted revenge for whoever did this, but at the same time I blamed myself for what happened. It feels like I'm just a toy… a puppet. I've trained at camp for six years, but I feel don't feel mentally prepared for the outside world. I feel like I'm six years old again. I ran away from camp because I was a coward. I let Grover die. And here I am, bringing you two to death."

Annabeth pursed her lips. "It's not your fault Grover died."

"Yes it was!" he cried out. His vision blurred. "I could have fought side-by-side with him. I could've helped him. But I stood there like the useless Seaweed Idiot I am and watched him die. Now, Hades is going to kill all of us and it's because of me and my stupid revenge."

"Percy!" Annabeth said. "Percy! Snap out of it! You're not going to kill us."

"I should've died instead of my mother," he croaked. "She didn't deserve death. I'm a traitor. I deserve death."

"Percy, what are you talking about?" Thalia said. "Why are you acting up?"

All of his emotions seemed to catch up to him. He was walking them into the trap. He could tell them right now. He could tell them the bolt must've been inside the bag. But something in his gut told him he needed to get to the Underworld. He needed to prove the threat. Percy wanted to tell them so bad. He was tired of hiding. He was tired of being alone. He was tired of dishonouring his mother.

Suddenly, the world tumbled into darkness, and he heard a loud _thud!_ And then he slept and dreamless sleep.

When Percy woke, Annabeth was shaking his shoulder. "The truck stopped," she said. "They're coming to check on the animals. Hide!"

She had it easy. She just put on her magic cap and disappeared.

He and Thalia had to dive behind feed sacks and hoped they looked like turnips.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his stupid nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said.

Percy tensed, but Thalia put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? You like magic shows. You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looking straight at him.

_Free me, lord_, he said. _Please_.

There was a loud _knock_, _knock, knock_ on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"

A voice outside shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

_Knock, knock, knock._

Eddie yelled, "What banging?"

Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

A second later, Percy had his sword out and slashed the lock off the zebra's cage.

The zebra burst out. It turned to him and bowed. _Thank you, lord_.

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him and into the street.

There was yelling and screaming and cars honking.

There was no time to waste. As Maurice and Eddie ran after the zebra, Percy slashed the locks off the cages of the other two animals. They both bowed before him and then ran off into the streets of Las Vegas.

"Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."

They stumbled out into the desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, but everybody was too interested in the wild animals to pay three dying kids much attention.

"We're not dying, Percy." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Seriously. Have you never been out in this heat before?"

"Well… have you?" Percy asked.

"No, but I'm not whiny."

He pouted.

They passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. They passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty.

They didn't really have a planned destination. Percy wasn't sure what they were looking for, but once they took a wrong turn, they found themselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers—lotus blossom, maybe. It would fit with the whole Lotus Casino theme.

The doorman smiled at them. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

Percy knew to be suspicious, but Thalia nodded tiredly. "Anything to get out of the heat."

The moment he stepped inside, Percy's jaw dropped.

The whole lobby was a giant game room. And not just cheesy old Pac-Man games and slot machines. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food imaginable.

"Hey!" a guy in a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt greeted them. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

Annabeth stammered, "Um, but…"

"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your Lotus Cash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed each of them a green plastic credit card.

For some reason, Percy didn't think this was an explicit trap. The man was actually being genuinely nice. Percy took the card and said, "How much is on here?"

His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

They took the elevator upstairs and checked out the room. It was a suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun to shoot clay pigeons over the Las Vegas skyline. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, though with a room like this, Percy doubted they'd ever find time to look at view.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is…"

"Awesome," Thalia grinned. "Totally awesome."

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit Percy. He frowned, thinking that it was a little strange. But the thought quickly passed and he shrugged.

He took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel. He changed clothes, ate a bag of chips, drank three Cokes, and came out feeling better than he had in a while. In the back of his mind, some small problem kept nagging him. There was something sad. He was supposed to be sad. But the harder he thought about it, the faster it slipped from his mind.

He came out the bedroom and found that Annabeth and Thalia had also showered and changed clothes. Thalia was drinking her fifth can of Coke, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel.

"All those stations," he told her, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting."

"I feel like I'm forgetting something," Thalia said suddenly. "Eh, whatever. It can wait."

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Thalia smirked deviously. "I don't know about you guys, but for me it's play time." She held up their green plastic Lotus Cash cards.

* * *

Percy spent most of his time playing FBI sharpshooter and eating.

Annabeth was playing trivia games and other brainiac stuff. They had this huge 3-D Sim game where people could build their own city, and they could actually see the holographic buildings rise on the display board. Percy smiled when he remembered how Annabeth wanted to become an architect.

The more he thought about it, the more he could visualize Annabeth running around a room using giant rulers and measuring tapes, making dozens of blueprints for an enormous building, like a skyscraper, with extreme precision, and the less he thought about her drawing quietly. After a while of staring, Percy decided to look for Thalia.

Chewing on a slice of pizza, he walked through giant rows of video games. It took him three slices of pizza to finally find her. She was having an argument with some guy in a weird looking tracksuit. He sighed. If he didn't stop her soon, she'd zap the guy with a lightning blast. It would get ugly really fast.

"You are a _fiiiine_ lady," the guy said with a wink. He looked fifteen.

"Shut up and leave me alone," said Thalia with a scowl.

"So bodacious," he admired.

"What the hell does bodacious mean?"

"Oh come on, it's like, totally hip!"

"What?"

"Just relax." He stepped toward her. "I'll show you how to play the ball. I'll ease ya into first base. We'll get ya to second and then third. Then we'll finish off with a homerun. It'll be bitchin'."

"Get the hell away from me, pervert," Thalia snapped.

Percy stepped into the fray. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, Thalia." Percy turned to the guy. "What do you want?"

"Back off, tard. She's mine."

"Tart? Isn't that like a dessert."

"Step off."

"Step off what?"

"Man, first fine girl here and she has a boyfriend."

Percy felt his face getting warm. "I'm not her boyfriend. Just lay off her. Clearly, she doesn't want to be bothered."

"Psh, your loss," snorted the guy. "Could've had the ace of the class of '89." Then he stalked off.

Percy turned to Thalia and asked, "You all right? Saw you getting harassed so I thought I'd help."

Her face was pale for some reason.

"Urn, Thalia?"

"Follow me," she ordered.

Percy followed her as she began to talk to people. It was harder, especially because most other people were addicted to whatever they were doing. They were glued to the TV screen, or the video game, or their food, or whatever. The two of them found a guy who told them it was 1977. Another guy told them it was 1993. They claimed they hadn't been in there very long, a few days, a few weeks at most. They didn't really know and they didn't care.

"If there's one thing I know for sure," Thalia said numbly, "it's that this year is _not_ 1993. Or '77."

"It's only been like a couple of hours but—" Percy remembered the Lotus on the front of the hotel. "Hey, isn't there a Greek myth involving a lotus or something?"

Thalia looked like she was racking her brain. "Well, there's the land of the Lotus-eaters. Odysseus ran into them. His crew ate the lotus plants and never wanted to leave… again. Oh my gods, we're in the modern day version of the land of the Lotus-eaters." She cursed in ancient Greek.

"Come on, we have to find Annabeth," Percy decided.

She nodded and they ran off.

As they jogged through the machines, Thalia said, "Thanks for, you know, helping me out back there. With that kid from the '80s."

"No problem."

"Urgh, you make it so hard for me to hate you."

"I feel flattered," he replied sarcastically.

"In the grand scheme of things, you seem untrustworthy," she admitted. "But with everything we go through, it seems like you're helping us every step of the way. Every ounce of doubt we're fed is washed away by, well, you. Ironic as that sounds."

"I see."

"I don't even know why that kid was hitting on me," she said. "I was just lining up for food."

"It's probably 'cause you look fifteen."

"What?"

"Well, he looked fifteen to me. You kind of look fifteen. Maybe fourteen. To be honest, you're the mature-looking one of our trio."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yes, that's a compliment." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I guess he thought you were good-looking. Hope Luke won't be miffed by that when he asks us how our campaign went."

She rolled her eyes and slowed down to a speed walk. He slowed down to match her pace.

"Shut up, idiot," she muttered. "And, um, about the night in the truck. You—you kind of fainted. But you were muttering stuff all night. Annabeth and I were awake for a while, just listening. Whatever… whatever's happened that's doomed us all… if it comes down to sacrificing one of us for the sake of saving Olympus, I'm willing to do that for you, Percy."

He gave her a bitter smile. "I told myself I wouldn't put you in the position of the prophecy. Remember, I'm older than you. I told myself to claim the responsibility of the Great Prophecy. I don't think we've ever spoken about the Great Prophecy to each other. When it comes down to that, and if we're both still alive, I'm not letting you die to save or raze Olympus. That lies on me."

"Percy, I can handle myself—"

"The threat to Olympus is more than just a god thing, Thalia. I know Annabeth should be here to hear this, but the threat that is hitting us is greater than an Olympian. Have you ever heard the saying about how history is bound to repeat itself?"

"Yeah."

"What was the first great war that the gods fought?"

She thought about it. "The Titanomachy. The war between the gods and the… the Titans." She went wide-eyed. "Annabeth was—I mean…"

"What?"

She didn't answer.

"What?"

"It's… it's nothing."

"Okay..." Percy continued, "Well, like I was saying, the threat isn't an Olympian. Actually, it's not Hades at all. Sure, the gods fight amongst each other but they wouldn't steal each other's weapons. They aren't that desperate for power. What… what did you hear me mumble whilst you were stalking me in my sleep?"

She tensed and he could tell she was flustered. "Whatever," she snapped. "That's not the point. At first, we thought you were dreaming of Hades. But last night, you mentioned someone else. You spoke about Luke and other things of the sort. He knows who the enemy is, and he thinks you're working for the enemy, doesn't he? Now that I think about it, Annabeth is right. Despite the kind things he says about you and how much he insists, the tone doesn't reach his eyes."

"I thought you said I could go on the quest because Luke told me that I was good?" Percy asked.

Thalia flushed. "I was… blinded."

He thought hard. "Blinded by what?"

"I… I—it doesn't matter. What matters is that he's right. You do know the enemy. But if it isn't Hades, who could it be?"

"You're going to kill me now, aren't you?" he presumed. "You think that I'm the thief and that I lied to you about everything just so I could betray you in the end, just like all the hints point to."

"That's the thing, Percy." She bit her lip. "We don't think you stole the bolt."

"What?" He was surprised.

"Annabeth because she believes something about you I don't think I could ever understand. And I because I understand something about you she can never understand. For years, I thought I was alone. I thought I was the only one who knew what it was like. When I ran away from home, I admit I thought about revenge against the gods. Things happened to me and my family. The gods were the cause of everything. My dad left me. Other gods took things away from me I held dear. Hades tried killing me, and you saw what happened to Grover because of that. Hades killed your mother. My dad tried killing you. Your dad didn't send you a message until you were ten. That's what I understand: the feeling of being sought after to be killed or to be used as a weapon. Then Annabeth and I made it to Chesapeake."

"You made a recording," Percy recalled.

"You found it?" Thalia said, pleased.

He nodded.

"Well, then you know how I felt after it. You know my reasons. I know you can do the same, Percy. You don't have to choose the dark path. I'm not going to copy the gods and kill you because you've a threatening son of Poseidon. You've made bad moves, but you regret them, and that's enough for me to believe that you can change. Annabeth believes that too. Revenge isn't going to solve anything."

"I—I guess…" He suddenly realized something. "Haven't we wasted a day in real time talking?"

She nodded solemnly. "Come on. Annabeth's just over there."

Annabeth was still building her city.

Percy shook her. "Annabeth?"

She looked up, annoyed. "What?"

"We need to leave."

"Leave? What are you talking about? I've just got the towers—"

"This place is a trap," Thalia said.

She didn't respond until Percy shook her again. "What?"

"Listen. The Underworld. Our quest!"

"Oh, come on, Percy. Just a few more minutes."

"Annabeth, there are people here from 1977. Kids who have never aged. You check in, and you stay forever."

"So?" she asked. "Can you imagine a better place?"

Percy grabbed her wrist and yanked her away from the game.

"Hey!" She screamed and hit him, but nobody else even bothered look at them. They were too busy.

Thalia helped him, but Annabeth was slippery.

Finally, Thalia managed to tangle their legs, which gave Percy the chance to grab Annabeth's cheeks and make her look directly in his eyes. He said, "Spiders. Large, hairy spiders."

That jarred her. Her vision cleared. "Oh my gods," she said. "How long have we—" She went red. "Why are you so close to my face?"

His face felt hot. "Whatever. Come on, let's go!"

As they neared the exit, the Lotus bellhop hurried up to them. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," Percy told him.

"Such a shame," he said, sounding like he meant it. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

He held out the cards, and Percy almost wanted one. But he knew there would be no escape. They had to leave now.

"No thanks," said Annabeth.

The three of them burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk.

It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day they'd gone into the casino, but something felt different. It felt drier and hotter, if that was possible.

Ares' backpack was slung over his shoulder, which was odd; because he was sure he didn't have a backpack on when he was roaming around in the lobby. And neither Annabeth nor Thalia had their backpacks on, like they'd left theirs up in their room, room 4001. But at the moment, he had other problems to worry about.

He ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods; it was the same year it had been when they went in. Then he noticed the date. It was the middle of May. They'd been gone for over a month.

The front headline on the newspaper read: NATURAL DISASTERS: HURRICANES AND THUNDERSTORMS WREAK HAVOC ON EAST COAST; EARTHQUAKES AND TREMORS IN THE WEST.

True, there was no deadline to get the bolt back, but it wasn't missing anymore, and Zeus would surely know that. He could return it and regain the gods' favour. So why did his instincts keep telling him to go west?

"Let's go," Thalia said darkly. "I'm going home: Los Angeles."

* * *

**Wearing your heart upon your sleeve, just like Iago, eh, Percy? Difference is that you're kind of okay with that. Anyway, I'm not sure if there is anything I need to clear up about this chapter. Let's see... the reviews:**

**BridgeOfKhazadDum - Yes, you're helping boost my ego! Thank you very much!**

**The Budder Golem - Not yet...**

**percyjacksonfan14 - It's not called being smart. It's called reinforcing the fact that Percy is separate from the other two. He feels that way, which affected his decision.**

**Theon Azul - Updated one day after you reviewed, though if you're reading this, you're probably reading it a day or two after I've posted it.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews, even though there were only four. Despite the first three chapters having 12, 11 and 11 respectively, and a huge drop off from there aside from chapter 6 with 13 reviews, I'm glad you are all showing support just by reading this. You don't have to review. It's only to boost my ego if you feel like boosting some strange dude on the internet's ego. It's a good fresh start reminding me I have to work hard and think of something that will capture the reader's attention, even though the current chapters will be very generic.**

**DON'T FORGET! IF YOU HAVEN'T VOTED ON THE POLL, DO SO! Thanks to the 23 or 24 of you who have voted so far, and as expected, Idea #3 is winning by a landslide. Current results ****SPOILER*****NOT REALLY****:**

**Idea #1 = 2 votes (this was a short, sweet story... might turn it into a one-shot in the future)  
Idea #2 = 1 vote (surprised; this was more popular in the last poll when it had about 30 votes out of 100)  
Idea #3 = 15 votes (LANDSLIDE INCOMING!)  
Idea #4 = 6 votes (this is most likely going to be the story I will write after "Rise of Time.")**

***********REAL SPOILER**********  
**"Son of the Sea: Rise of Time" is the single and final entry of the series. Horrible plot twist, I'm afraid.**  
**

*****************END OF SPOILER**********************

**If you read the spoiler, well, you probably shouldn't have because I might have ruined the story for you. If you didn't, I'm just making you more worried. :P**

**Thanks,  
Sharky**


	19. Taxis, Beds and Death

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

**New option added for the poll. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

It was Annabeth's idea.

She loaded them into the back of a Vegas taxi as if they actually had more than twenty bucks. Percy checked the bag again. Yup, only twenty bucks. The rest of the cash was in the Lotus Casino. Shame.

"Los Angeles, please," Annabeth said.

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized them up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."

Annabeth handed him her green Lotus Cash card.

He looked at it skeptically.

"Swipe it," Annabeth invited.

He did.

His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth.

Percy felt his own jaw drop.

The cabbie looked back at them, his eyes wide. "Where to in Los Angeles… uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth sat up a little straighter. Percy could tell she liked the "Your Highness" thing. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert.

On the road, the three of them had plenty of time to talk. Unlike the drive with Argus, all three of them sat in the back. Thalia and Percy both flanked Annabeth, which Percy was glad for. He wouldn't feel comfortable sitting in between them. He felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

"So it's May, huh?" asked Annabeth. "I don't remember too much. Just that we went in during early April or something."

"We were in there for quite a while," Percy said. "Lair of the Lotus-eaters. They invited people to stay. Not sure if time travelling slower in there was always a thing or if it's new. Either way, the gods are getting impatient. We can't afford to lose any time now."

"Why do we need to go to Santa Monica again?" asked Thalia.

"The underwater message from St. Louis," Annabeth reminded her. "Somehow, Percy's father is helping him. Maybe there's a message waiting for him to help us get through the Underworld. I mean, if… if Hades has the—"

"He knows," Thalia said. "Conversation in the truck."

"Everything?" asked Annabeth.

"Not _everything_, but the general idea."

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Annabeth said quickly.

He didn't press them. He'd kept his fair share of lies and secrets.

Wasteland rolled by. They passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES.

The closer they got to Los Angeles, the more dreadful the feeling in his stomach got. There was a missing puzzle piece to this, but the only problem was that Percy didn't think that missing puzzle piece was actually missing. He knew where the piece was, but he was just refusing to believe the fact that it was the missing link. A treacherous idea blossomed in his head.

This whole time could it have been Kronos sending the monsters after him?

_We know your betrayal and we know your betrayer_, the Gray Sisters had said long ago. _Only time will tell_.

But it couldn't be… No, it couldn't be. It was an accidental pun.

_Wake!_ The spirits had shouted. _Wake!_

He remembered his mother trying to wake him up as Kronos gripped a viselike grip on him. The spirits were under the Lord of the Dead, Hades. If they were telling him to resist, did that mean Hades was trying to save him? Hades was the first god to know about him aside from his father. Hades, the ruler of the Underworld, could probably tell if something in Tartarus was stirring. Did Hades know?

The Furies had come to fetch the helm of darkness, not kill him. Back on the bus, he knew that yet he never told Annabeth or Thalia about it. The reason why they wouldn't kill him was because Hades thought he had the helm.

That's why he needed to go west. He needed to confront Hades and prove that he didn't take the helm. But was it in Ares' backpack. Percy wasn't even sure if the bolt was inside, not to mention the helm. Every time he opened it, nothing but clothes and money and drachmas appeared. He needed to see if they were there.

From the Nevada-California border onward, Annabeth tried to boost their morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead. But things didn't add up. The prophecy worried Percy, especially the third line, but it said he was supposed to save Thalia, unless there was another "equal match." What was he going to save her from?

It felt like the Lotus Casino had short-circuited his brain. He could remember a lot of things, but some important, low-key details flew past him.

Percy looked down and re-did the knot on his sneakers. He wasn't wearing the basketball shoes anymore. He gave those back to Thalia before they left Waterland. He thought tying his shoes would keep his mind clear and calm for the task ahead: prevent the rise of time and save Olympus from disaster. And more importantly, save Camp Half-Blood from destruction.

The problem was: they were hurtling toward the Underworld at ninety-five miles an hour, betting that the items they needed would appear before them.

The cab sped west. Every gust of wind through Death Valley sounded like a spirit of the dead. Every time the brakes hissed on an eighteen-wheeler, it reminded him of Echidna's reptilian voice.

At sunset, the taxi dropped them at the beach in Santa Monica.

There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave.

He, Thalia and Annabeth walked down to the edge of the surf.

"What now?" Annabeth asked. "What's the summons?"

The Pacific was turning gold in the setting sun. He thought about how long it had been since he stood on the beach at Camp Half-Blood, on the opposite side of the country, looking out at a different sea.

And Poseidon controlled a greater part of the ocean. Percy was the son of a very powerful god. But he never felt like it. He didn't feel powerful. The only reason he'd gotten this far was because of years of training and two friends, who albeit trusted slowly, became loyal. Without them, he would've been dead already. This wasn't like the Sea of Monsters. He wasn't on home turf. Annabeth and Thalia had kept him alive thus far. He planned to keep them alive when it was his turn.

He stepped into the surf.

"Percy?" Annabeth said. "What are you doing?"

He kept walking, up to his waist, then his chest.

She called after him, "You know how polluted that water is? There's all kinds of toxic—"

That's when his head went under.

It was just like before. He could sense the power of the ocean around him. He shouldn't have been able to see through the murk, but his fishy powers granted him superhuman vision that no other demigod could possess other than another son of Poseidon.

Something rubbed against his leg. He looked down and froze in fear. Sliding along beside him was a five-foot-long mako shark.

But like with most sea creatures the thing wasn't attacking. It was nuzzling him. Heeling like a dog.

Tentatively, Percy touched its dorsal fin. It bucked a little, as if inviting him to hold tighter. He grabbed the fin with both hands. It took off, pulling him along. The shark carried him down into the darkness and deposited him at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm.

The surface shimmered maybe a hundred fifty feet above.

A shape glimmered in the darkness below, growing bigger and brighter as it rose toward him. A woman's voice called, "Percy Jackson."

As she got closer, her shape became clearer. She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. Light flickered around her and her eyes were so distractingly beautiful he hardly noticed the stallion-sized sea horse she was riding. She dismounted. The sea horse and the mako shark whisked off and started playing something that looked like tag.

The underwater lady smiled at him. "You've come far, Percy Jackson. Well done."

Percy smiled back. "You're the woman who spoke to me in the Mississippi River. That's why you couldn't stay. You're a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. St. Louis is pretty far upriver. How did you manage it?"

"The naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force. They honour Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve in his court."

"And you serve in my father's court."

She nodded. "It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. We have watched you with great interest."

Percy remembered the faint images of smiling women whenever he mulled at the beach.

"Why are you here?" he asked her.

She held out her hand. Three white pearls flashed in her palm.

"I know you journey to Hades' realm," she said. "Few mortals have ever done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great music skill; Hercules, who had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. Do you have these talents?"

"No, my lady. But I have friends."

The Nereid smiled warmly. "Yes, indeed. You have something else, Percy. You have gifts you have only begun to know. I believe you know the great and terrible future that awaits you, should you survive to manhood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time, even if the daughter of Zeus could replace you. Therefore take these as a gift from your father, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"What will happen?"

"What belongs to the sea," she said, "will always return to the sea."

"There was something you told me in the river." The memory was fuzzy. "You said something about a curse. What were you trying to warn me about?"

Her eyes flickered with green light. "Go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all. Once you are in Hades' realm, he will never willingly let you leave. He feeds on doubt and hopelessness. However, I see now that you will fail to stop the curse. That much I know. The rest is up to you. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson."

She summoned her sea horse and rode toward the void.

"Wait!" he shouted. "What curse?"

"Good-bye, young hero," she called back, her voice fading into the depths. "You must listen to your heart." She became a speck of glowing green, and then she was gone.

Percy kicked upward toward the shore.

When he reached the beach, his clothes dried instantly. He told Thalia and Annabeth what had happened, and showed them the pearls.

Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."

"They're from my father. I believe in them."

Both girls looked doubtful, but they had no choice.

With spare change from Ares' backpack, they took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip he'd taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but he'd never heard of DOA Recording Studios.

"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," he told Percy. "You a child actor or something?"

Percy shrugged. "Lots of people look similar in this world. It's bigger than you think."

"Oh! I guess that's true. I mean, I doubt you've met that little boy back there, but he looks a lot like you." He gestured toward a grey-eyed, blonde-haired boy sitting next to his father and then to Annabeth.

"Never seen him before," Annabeth said.

They thanked the bus driver and got off quickly at the next stop.

They wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book.

Twice, they ducked into alleys to avoid cop cars.

Percy froze in front of an appliance-store window when he saw a television playing an interview with somebody who looked very familiar—his former step-dad, Smelly Gabe. He was talking to Barbara Walters, as if he was some kind of huge celebrity. She was interviewing him in Percy's old apartment. He looked like he was in the middle of a poker game and was chewing on a fat cigar. He looked like a giant walrus smoking. Never mind, that was an insult to walruses all over the world.

A fake tear glistened on his cheek. He was saying, "Honest, Ms. Walters, I had no idea. I always suspected that there was something wrong with the Jacksons, but I… I was too in love with Sally to ever realize. One day, she kicked me out and then died soon after. I never believed that she was anything horrible. But my stepson was a delinquent. He's a terrorist. He's probably the one who blew up the Arch in St. Louis."

"There you have it, America." Barbara Walters turned to the camera. "A family with a mysterious background. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver."

The screen cut to a grainy shot of him, Annabeth and Thalia standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares.

"Who are the other children in this photo?" Barbara Walters asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America."

Thalia hauled Percy away before he could punch a hole in the appliance-store window.

It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play.

They walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at them like they were trying to figure if they were worth the trouble of mugging.

"Whatever you do, keep moving," Thalia advised.

As they hurried past the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."

Like an idiot, Percy stopped.

Before they knew it, they were surrounded. A gang of kids had circled them. Six of them in all—white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces.

"Stop," Thalia ordered.

The kids halted where they were, as if threatened by Thalia's tone. That's right. Thalia said that she was from L.A. Her mother was an actress in Hollywood. She could get them out of there.

"Back off," she barked.

The kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave, because he kept approaching her with a switchblade.

Before he could react, Thalia darted forward, grabbed the leader's wrist, twisted it and forced the blade out of his hands. She kicked him hard for extra measure before she shouted, "Run!" Pushing two kids out of the way, she raced down the street.

Annabeth and Percy followed her. Thalia never slowed down, which meant Annabeth was lagging behind. Percy'd trained for years against dryads. Those spirits were really fast, but Percy knew he was one of the fastest at camp.

Percy grabbed her hand and put on a burst of speed, making her stumble. But he never faltered. They kept running until they turned a sharp corner, where Thalia had turned a second before.

"There!" Annabeth shouted.

Only one store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said something like CRSTUY'S WATRE BDE ALPACE.

The three of them burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked.

A split second later, the gang kids ran past outside.

"I think we lost them," Thalia panted.

A voice behind them boomed, "Lost who?"

They all jumped.

Standing behind us was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had grey, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved slowly, but Percy got the feeling he could move fast if he needed to.

The suit he wore belonged back in the seventies, big-time. The shirt was silk paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his hairless chest. The lapels on his velvet jacket were as wide as landing strips. The silver chains around his neck—he couldn't even count them.

"I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.

_Yes, you are_, Percy thought.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him.

"Hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?"

Before Percy could say anything, Crusty put a huge paw on his shoulder and steered him deeper into the showroom.

There was every kind of water bed imaginable.

"This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over bed covered with black satin sheets. The mattress vibrated. "Million-hand massage. Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, anyway."

"Um," Percy said, "I don't think…"

Then something snapped inside of him and he suddenly felt sleepy.

"Well," he muttered. "What's the worst it could do?"

He lay down.

He got sleepier and sleepier. He was about to doze off when suddenly ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around him, holding him to the mattress.

"W-what i-i-is-s th-thisssss?" he shouted, his voice vibrating from the million-hand massage. "N-not c-cool!"

The giant looked at him, then turned toward Annabeth and grinned. "Almost, damn it."

She tried to step away, but Crusty's hand shot out and clamped around the back of her neck. "Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec."

"No! You're Procrustes."

"Smart one, daughter of Athena." Crusty laughed darkly. "_Ergo!_"

A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around Percy's ankles, then around his armpits. Thalia was stuck on her own bed. The ropes started tightening, pulling them from both ends.

"Don't worry," Crusty told Annabeth. "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"

Annabeth's eyes raced a million miles an hour. Finally, she said, "Oh, absolutely. The workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"

Procrustes grinned hugely. "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"

"Not too many."

"That's right!"

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind him," she told the giant. "He's impossible."

"Are you insane?" shouted the son of Poseidon.

Panic settled in his bones. He would die right here, right now.

The giant laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."

"Wow…" Annabeth was looking at the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out."

"Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?"

"Guaranteed."

"No way."

"Way."

"Show me."

The giant sat down eagerly on the bed and patted the mattress. "No waves. See?"

Annabeth snapped her fingers. "_Ergo_."

Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"Center him just right," Annabeth said, walking over to a sales desk.

The ropes readjusted themselves. Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out the bottom.

"No!" he said. "Wait! This is just a demo."

Annabeth brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe and smirked. "A few simple adjustments…"

She slowly approached the top of the bed.

"You drive a hard bargain," Procrustes said nervously. "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models."

"I think I'll start with the top," Annabeth said, raising the axe.

"No money down! No interest for six months!"

She swung the axe. Crusty stopped making offers.

Annabeth cut the ropes on the other beds. Percy and Thalia got to their feet, groaning and wincing. Thalia was cursing, but Percy grinned at Annabeth and said, "That, Miss Chase, was an ingenious plan. Can't believe I doubted you."

"Could've been faster," groaned Thalia.

Percy looked down at Annabeth. "You look shorter."

"Very funny," Annabeth said. "Come on."

"Give us a minute," Thalia complained. "We were almost stretched to death."

Percy noticed a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. "We are always looking for new talent!" DOA's address was right underneath with a map.

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," he told her. "It's only a block from here."

* * *

They stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS.

Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece.

Percy walked inside first.

Music played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel grey. Pencil cacti grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything. Yup, spirits of the dead. He'd seen enough of them in his dreams.

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so they had to look up at him.

He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-coloured skin and bleached-blonde hair shaved military style. He wore tortoise-shell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

"Charon," Percy said.

The man smiled coldly, like a python before it struck. "Hello, dead ones. How may I be of assistance?"

"We want to go to the Underworld," Percy said bluntly.

Charon's mouth twitched. "Well, that's refreshing."

"Really?"

"Straight forward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'" He looked them over. "How did you die, then?"

"Bus accident in New Jersey," Percy said, as if he'd rehearsed it.

"Interesting." Charon looked mildly impressed. "I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children… alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"We have coins." Percy set three golden drachmas on the counter, part of the stash he'd found in Crusty's office desk.

"Well, now…" Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in…"

His fingers hovered greedily over the coins.

Then Charon looked at him. That cold stare behind his glasses seemed to bore a hole through his chest.

"Here now," he said. "You walked through the front door. These smell of… Procrustes." He leaned forward and took a sniff. "You're not dead. I should've known. You're a godling."

"We have to get to the Underworld," Percy insisted.

Charon made a growling sound deep in his throat. Immediately, all the people in the waiting room got up and started pacing, agitated, lighting cigarettes, running hands through their hair, or checking their wrist watches.

"Leave while you can," Charon told them. "I'll just take these and forget I saw you."

He started to go for the coins, but Percy snatched them back.

"No service, no tip."

Charon growled again—a deep, blood-chilling sound. The spirits of the dead started pounding on the elevator doors.

Percy's heart raced. "I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and you're going to get us to the Underworld." He brought out the bag of drachmas from Ares' bag. One by one, he stacked them on the counter. "You're going to bring me to the Underworld, help us get through the security, and get me to Hades."

Charon stared at the coins hungrily.

"You deserve better. You'll get better."

The ferryman clenched his teeth before saying, "The boat's almost full, anyway. I might as well add you three and be off. Besides, you're a son of Poseidon. You're not going to return alive, ha!"

He stood, scooped up the money, and said, "Come along."

Percy read at camp that the boat to the Underworld had changed in modern day times. An elevator transformed into a boat that drove across the Acheron and the Styx. But nothing really prepared him for the actual thing. The floor swayed, as if rocking on the sea. It stayed that way for a while until he actually felt the power of a river beneath him.

It was a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other, stranger things—plastic dolls, crushed car nations, soggy diplomas with gilt edges.

"The River Styx," Annabeth murmured. "It's so…"

"Polluted," Charon said. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across—hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

Mist curled off the filthy water. Above them, almost lost in the gloom, was a ceiling of stalactites. Ahead, the far shore glimmered with greenish light, the colour of poison.

Everything was depressing. Souls muttered darkly under their long robes.

The hell they depicted in movies wasn't horrifying. Pits of lava and a fiery landscape were scary. It was basically physical torture. But the real Underworld was the real deal. There was nothing more painful to Percy than depression. The gloomy landscape that awaited them was both a physical and a mental torture. Hell was a place that made him want to escape, to leave. But the Underworld looked like a place where he knew he couldn't. There was no hope. All dreams were shattered… lost in the Styx. Everyone around him was dead.

Annabeth grabbed hold of his hand. He squeezed back. He understood how she felt. She wanted reassurance that somebody else was alive on this boat.

The shoreline of the Underworld came into view. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction as far as they could see. A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stones—the howl of a large animal.

The bottom of their boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. A woman holding a little girl's hand. An old man and an old woman hobbling along in arm. A boy no older than he was, shuffling silently along in his grey robe.

"Unfortunately, I have no way of getting you any further," Charon said. "Old Three-Face isn't a human domesticated dog. He wouldn't act like a Rottweiler."

He counted their golden coins into his pouch, then took up his pole and ferried the empty barge back across the river.

The entrance to the Underworld was not what he expected. The Underworld looked like a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.

There were three separate entrances under one huge black arch way that said YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top. Beyond this were tollbooths manned by black-robed ghouls like Charon.

The howling of the hungry animal was really loud now, but Percy couldn't see Cerberus yet.

The dead queued up in the three lines, two marked ATTENDANT ON DUTY, and one marked EZ DEATH. The EZ DEATH line was moving right along. The other two were crawling.

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," Annabeth said. "No contest. They don't want to risk judgement from the court, because it might go against them."

"True. True."

Thalia was walking behind them, looking around nervously. Even for a brave daughter of Zeus like her, she was afraid of this place. The way things were going, it didn't seem that they'd be able to leave alive. He looked at Annabeth and noticed that they were still holding hands. He blushed in embarrassment and pointed it out to her.

She immediately let go and turned away.

They got closer to the gates. Then, about fifty feet in front of them, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster. Until it moved, it blended with whatever was behind it. Only its eyes and teeth looked solid. And it was staring straight at him.

Thalia said, "He's a Rottweiler."

The dead walked right up to him—no fear at all. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him. The EZ DEATH spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching.

Percy slowly walked up to Cerberus. All three heads trained their eyes on him as he approached. When he got within ten feet, Cerberus made a new kind of growl, deeper down in his three throats.

"He's definitely hungry," Thalia concluded, as Percy backed up.

"Something tells me we got ten seconds," he said.

"Wait!" Annabeth said. "I put something in Ares' pack."

She started rifling through the pack. Percy couldn't move otherwise Annabeth might lose track of where the thing she was looking for was. Not that it would help anyway.

Suddenly, Annabeth produced a red rubber ball the size of a grapefruit. It was labeled WATERLAND, DENVER, CO.

Before he could stop her, she raised the ball and marched straight up to Cerberus.

She shouted, "See the ball? You want the ball, Cerberus? Sit!"

Cerberus looked as stunned as they were.

All three of his heads cocked sideways. Six nostrils dilated.

"Sit!" Annabeth called again.

Nervousness crept up his back. He was sure that Annabeth would soon become the world's largest dog biscuit. Even Thalia was nervous; she was shaking, like she was unbalanced.

But instead, Cerberus licked his three sets of lips, shifted on his haunches, and sat, immediately crushing a dozen spirits who'd been passing underneath him in the EZ DEATH line. The spirits made muffled hisses as they dissipated, like the air let out of tires.

Annabeth said, "Good boy!"

She threw Cerberus the ball.

He caught it in his middle mouth. It was barely big enough for him to chew, and the other heads started snapping at the middle, trying to get the new toy.

"Drop it." Annabeth ordered.

Cerberus' heads stopped fighting and looked at her. The ball was wedged between two of his teeth like a tiny piece of gum. He made a loud, scary whimper—which was enough to almost make Percy piss his pants—then dropped the ball, now slimy and bitten nearly in half, at Annabeth's feet.

"Good boy." She picked up the ball, ignoring the monster spit all over it.

She turned toward them. "Go now. EZ DEATH line—it's faster."

Percy swallowed nervously. "But—"

"Now." She ordered, in the same tone she was using on the dog.

He and Thalia inched forward warily. Thalia was grabbing onto him, as if she were about to pass out.

Cerberus started to growl.

"Stay!" Annabeth ordered the monster. "If you want to ball, stay!"

Cerberus whimpered, but he stayed where he was.

Percy tried to feed off Annabeth's confidence. He led Thalia through the monster's legs, praying that the dog wouldn't sit again.

They made it through, though Thalia was really wobbly now.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from Annabeth, though.

She said, "Good dog!"

She held up the tattered red ball, and probably came to the same conclusion he did—if she rewarded Cerberus, there'd be nothing left for another trick. She threw the ball anyway. The monster's left mouth immediately snatched it up, only to be attacked by the middle head, whilst the right head moaned in protest.

While the monster was distracted, Annabeth walked briskly under its belly and joined him and Thalia at the metal detector.

"That was amazing, Annabeth," Percy praised her. "You saved us twice. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Obedience school," she said breathlessly, and he was surprised to see there were tears in her eyes. "When I was little, at my dad's house, we had a Doberman…"

Cerberus moaned pitifully from all three mouths. Annabeth stopped.

The dog had done a one-eighty to look at them. Cerberus panted expectantly, the tiny red ball in pieces in a puddle of drool at its feet.

"Good boy," Annabeth said, but her voice sounded melancholy and uncertain.

The monster's head turned sideways, as if worried about her.

"I'll bring you another ball soon," Annabeth promised faintly. "Would you like that?"

The dog whimpered.

"Good dog. I'll come visit you soon. I—I promise." Annabeth turned to them. "Let's go."

Thalia and Percy pushed through the metal detector, which immediately screamed and set off flashing red lights. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"

Cerberus started to bark.

They burst through the EZ DEATH gate, which made even more alarms blare, and raced into the Underworld.

A few minutes later, they were hiding, out of breath, in the rotten truck of an immense black tree as security ghouls scuttled past, yelling for backup from the Furies.

Percy couldn't help but think about Cerberus and the way he acted like a domestic dog, as if he had feelings as well. Were all monsters like that? Some friendly, some deadly? Medusa, the Chimera and Echidna, and the Furies had all desired to kill him. And something told him that nothing would have changed their minds.

But even here in the Underworld, everybody—even monsters—needed a little attention once in a while.

It reminded him of unclaimed campers at Camp Half-Blood and how they received pretty much no attention from their parents, whoever their parents were. How could the gods be so prideful and careless about mortals that they don't even claim their children? How could the gods be so heartless and not treat the beings that admired them… that wished to make them proud… fairly?

_What would a world without gods be like?_ Percy thought. _What would things be like if only mortals existed? A world where there were no monsters, no deities. Just humans._

_Help me destroy them_, hissed a dark voice, and this time it didn't seem like it was just in his head. It was almost as if it was coming from outside… from elsewhere in the Underworld._ Destroy the faithless gods_.

Then he noticed Thalia's shoes, and the alarm bells in his head went off.

"Thalia, take those shoes off!"

"What?"

And suddenly, just as the ghouls disappeared, the winged shoes sprouted into action and began dragging Thalia away. She grabbed onto the backpack. Percy had to make a choice. Let the backpack go, or be pulled along with Thalia leaving Annabeth to save the day once again.

He allowed the backpack to be pulled away but realized something horrible. The bolt was supposed to be in that bag. And the helm.

"Thalia!" Annabeth cried. She looked out of energy.

The shoes dragged Thalia across the Fields of Asphodel as the evil laugh of Kronos rolled over the flat plains, mocking him in his defeat.

* * *

**Either that was unexpected, or that was a let down of an ending. In a story that should include the epic of epicness, sometimes things that go wrong are due to stupid human error. A little on the dark side but whatever, that's how it's supposed to be. This Friday I'll be going on a vacation, so by then, I'm going to post up to chapter 22 before a week-long break. As soon as I get back, I'm going to have chapter 23 prepped to update right away. Just thought I'd let you guys know, especially because I end up updating fairly quickly and often people just skip and miss stuff quite easily if they don't check daily (or every two days in my case). Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Read and review.**

**Thanks,  
SharkAttack719**


	20. Fight!

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

**New option added for the poll. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Imagine the largest concert crowd you've ever seen, a football field packed with a million fans.

Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity has gone out, and there is no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd. Something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people just milled around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start.

Picture that, and you have a pretty good idea what the Fields of Asphodel looked like.

The black grass had been trampled by eons of ghostly feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Black trees grew in clumps here and there.

The cavern ceiling was so high above them it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint grey and looked wickedly pointed. They looked like they were about to fall on them at any moment. Some had already fallen. Dotted around the fields were several that had fallen and impaled themselves in the black grass.

Percy could see the Fields of Punishment and Elysium from here. They contrasted each other perfectly. One was full of tortures he didn't want to describe. The other looked like a whole community of beautiful houses from every time period in history. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the laws. In the middle of the valley that the community resided in was a glittering blue lake with three small islands—the Isles of the Blessed, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium.

But that was the least of Percy's worries right now. The winged shoes were fast, and he wasn't sure if he could keep up for long. They'd been running for miles. He'd been reduced to a jog. Annabeth was huffing by his side as Thalia screamed for help. She looked like she was trying to take the shoes off, but Percy wasn't sure if it would work.

At first, the shoes were dragging her toward Hades' palace, but then the shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged her in the opposite direction.

The slope got steeper. Thalia picked up speed. He and Annabeth had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side. They entered a tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

"Thalia!" Percy yelled, his voice echoing. "Hold onto something!"

"What?" Thalia yelled back.

"Look for a rock!"

She looked down past the shoes for a moment but suddenly screamed and tried clawing at the gravel, which didn't help at all.

The tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on Percy's arms bristled. They were getting closer to Kronos. The evil voice was penetrating his mind.

The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and the middle was a chasm the size of a city block.

Thalia was sliding straight toward the edge.

She dropped Ares' backpack, but it slowly rolled down to follow her.

For a moment, everything froze. Wasn't this the whole point of the mission? To get the lightning bolt to Tartarus? If he stopped, he could fulfill the Titan lord's wishes. But everything from the quest came crashing down on him. Kronos wasn't better than the gods. Maybe the gods were horrible but… Camp Half-Blood would be destroyed if Kronos won today. He didn't want to lose his friends. He remembered how the spirit of his mother warned him to wake. Was that actually her?

_And fall to your death without your equal match._

Time resumed again, and Percy ordered: "Annabeth, grab the backpack and back up. I'll go help Thalia!"

Percy pretended he was trying to beat the dryads in a race. He was tired and sleepy, but he couldn't give up now. Thalia would not die on his hands. If anyone deserved to fall into Tartarus, it was him.

They were fifty feet from the drop off when Percy was within arm's length of Thalia. He could see everything behind her, including a big rock that the shoes were pulling her toward. He warned her, "There's a rock behind you. Grab onto it!"

She did as he asked and used it as an anchor to slow herself down. Percy rushed to her feet and began untying the left shoe. The left shoe came flying off and it sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. But he could only get one shoe off when Thalia lost her grip and began sliding even further toward the pit.

Percy managed to grab her hand just as she went over the side. He was using the rock as an anchor, just as she had, but he could feel her slipping from his grasp. She needed to take that last shoe off.

"Take the last shoe off!" he screamed.

Thalia struggled as she lifted her foot. She managed to get her free hand on the laces and untied the knot. The shoe flew down into the chasm to join its twin. It wasn't over yet. Thalia was going to fall in if he didn't get a second hand to help her. But he would fall in if he let go of the rock. He was leaning back, but the weight of Thalia was pulling him forward.

"I'll help!" Annabeth voice said from beside him.

"No!" he shouted. "Don't get close to the pit's edge."

"I can help," she insisted.

He tried to think of something quickly. He could feel Kronos' consciousness trying to wake up from slumber. "If you want to help, you'll use the rock as an anchor and grab onto my waist."

"What?"

"Just do it!"

Annabeth hesitated for a second but realized that it was the only way. She grabbed onto his waist and leaned back. Percy let go of the rock and reached forward to grab Thalia's arm with both of his. She reached up with her free hand and grabbed his second hand. Percy pulled as hard as he could, lifting Thalia from the edge and deposited her on the obsidian gravel.

They ran back up the slope a good length away before collapsing, exhausted, on the gravel. Percy's limbs felt like lead.

Thalia was scratched up pretty bad. Her hands were bleeding, and her jeans had been torn.

"What was that?" exclaimed the daughter of Zeus, who was clearly terrified.

"Wait, shh." Annabeth stood. "Do you guys hear that?"

Percy listened closely. There was a muttering, evil voice from far, far below them. Coming from the pit. It was Kronos. The words were enchanted. Magic.

"We have to get out of here," he said.

Together, they hauled themselves up toward the tunnel. Annabeth was having a bit of difficulty, as if something was weighing her down.

The voice got louder and angrier behind them, and they broke into a run.

Not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at their backs, as if the entire pit was inhaling. For a terrifying moment, Percy lost ground, his feet slipping the gravel. If they'd been any closer to the edge, they would've been sucked in.

Annabeth was being pulled back even further than they were, and Percy realized she had Ares' backpack on. He rushed to help her, pushing her up toward the top of the tunnel. When they finally got to the top, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel, the wind died and a wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel.

Annabeth looked frightened. "Percy, that was—"

"Tartarus," he said. "I know."

They made their way to Hades' palace—anything to get away from Tartarus. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open. Up close, Percy saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times—an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls—but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago. Percy realized he was looking at prophecies that had come true.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden he'd ever seen.

Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up from the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as his fist, clumps of raw diamonds.

Standing scattered around like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues—petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs—all smiling grotesquely.

In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark.

"The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

"Don't have to tell me twice," muttered Thalia.

Percy suddenly had the desire to eat one of them, but he knew if he had one bite of the Underworld food, he'd never be able to leave.

They walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight.

There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armour, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered them, but their hollow eye sockets followed them as they walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at them, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means _entrez-vous_," Annabeth said.

Hades' throne room was a lot different than he imagined. But for some reason, he could see the resemblance to Olympus. Percy found himself in a vast room with black marble walls and bronze floors. The horrid throne was made from human bones fused together. And in it sat the Lord of the Dead.

Now that Percy thought about it, Hades' palace looked like Olympus underground with all bright white colours replaced by black and bronze.

Hades looked more god-like than he did at the Winter Solstice. He was dressed the same: black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, and like his brothers, his hair was jet black. But he was bigger. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated way more power. He looked lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.

"You are brave to come here, son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

Hades had intense eyes with a mesmerizing, evil charisma.

Percy grabbed the bag from Annabeth's back.

"Percy," she hissed. "What are you doing?"

He opened it and looked inside. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy: the master bolt. But there was nothing else inside. He paled as he looked up to the god.

Both Thalia and Annabeth looked stunned.

"Percy, what is that?" Thalia asked.

"So you didn't tell them," Hades said. He smiled evilly. "You didn't tell them _you_ were the thief at the winter solstice. That you took both the bolt _and_ my helmet."

"Percy didn't take it!" Annabeth argued. "He didn't—This bag was a gift… We didn't have the master bolt until now."

"Silence!" bellowed the god. "Do not argue his case, girl. You have been helping this hero—coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt—to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"Your helm is missing too?" asked Thalia.

"Don't play innocent with me," Hades snarled. "I have said nothing of the helmet's disappearance because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I sent my Furies after you. When it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"What do you mean you didn't try to stop us?"

"Return my helmet now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson—_your_ skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

"You should see, daughter of Zeus, that this scum should not be trusted," Hades said sneakily. "He took your father's weapon and pretended the entire time."

"No he didn't!" Thalia crackled with energy. "He didn't take the bolt! I know he didn't take the bolt!"

At that point, Percy probably should have been terrified. The strange thing was, he felt offended.

"You're as bad as Zeus," Percy growled. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course," Hades said.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you—I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"_Easily?_"

"Return my property!"

"I don't have your helmet!"

"Liar!"

Percy was in a desperate situation. There seemed to be no way out of this. Both Thalia and Annabeth realized the truth—that Ares had given them the backpack… that they'd been tricked. Percy could play his most desperate hand and betray what he'd worked on for the past few years. He could turn the god's anger into fear. He could chill the entire Underworld with the utter cry of a name.

"Kronos!" Percy yelled, and all thoughts in his mind stopped.

Hades' eyes were cautious now. "What did you say, boy?"

"Kronos ordered the theft of the master bolt," Percy said, anger and confidence swelling in his chest. "A thief stole it from Olympus, along with your helmet, and got caught by Ares. They tricked him into keeping it safe. And then Ares handed it to us so that we could bring it to Tartarus. We were just there. The bolt almost made it to its destination. The helm is still with Ares."

"Nephew…" Hades said in a threatening voice.

Percy realized something. "You knew the entire time. You were the first god aside from my father to learn about me. I had a dream on our way to Las Vegas. Kronos was going to use me to get out of the pit. But you sent my mother's spirit to warn me. You're just paranoid and fearful. You're choosing to ignore the truth!"

While Hades sat there, stunned, Percy gave a pearl to Annabeth and Thalia each.

"I'll get your helmet, Uncle," Percy told Hades. "I'll return it. I swear to the Styx."

"Godling…?"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."

"Percy Jackson, you will not—"

"Now, guys!"

They smashed the pearls at their feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened.

Then, the pearl fragments at his feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. He was encased in a milk white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground.

"I will make sure you keep your promise, or I will make your death more painful than you can imagine!" Hades yelled. "You will pay, son of Poseidon!" He yelled with such power, the whole palace seemed to shake with his rage.

"Where are we going?" Thalia yelled. "We're going to crash!"

"No." Percy looked up with grim determination. "'What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.'"

They raced through solid rock as easily as an air bubble in water. For a few moments, he couldn't see anything outside the smooth walls of his sphere, then his pearl broke through on the ocean floor. The two other milky spheres, Thalia and Annabeth, kept pace with him as they soared upward through the water. And _ker-blam!_

They exploded on the surface, in middle of Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

Percy grabbed Annabeth and hauled her over to a life buoy. He caught Thalia and dragged her over too. A curious shark was circling them, a great white about eleven feet long.

He said, "Beat it."

The shark turned and raced away.

The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from them as fast as he could.

In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighbourhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades' fault.

But the Underworld wasn't his biggest problem.

He needed to have a serious conversation with the god who'd turned.

* * *

A Coast Guard boat picked them up, but they were too busy to keep them for long, or to wonder how three kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. There was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls.

They dropped them off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around their shoulders and water bottles that said I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! and sped off to save more people.

Percy willed himself to get soaked so it wouldn't look suspicious when he got picked up.

After reaching dry land, they stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise.

"Percy—" Annabeth's voice caught in her throat. She looked like she'd been through hell—which she had, in a sense. "You… Titans…?"

"It was a trick," he said. "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?"

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. "Yeah. I get it."

Thalia didn't have the heart to be angry. She looked like she was about to give up on life. That's how miserable and frightened the daughter of Zeus looked. Percy never thought he'd see her in such a state, but he understood, given the circumstances. For most, hearing the words "Minotaur" or "Fury" was enough to throw them off. To hear the name of a feared Titan lord so close to Tartarus was something on another scale.

"That's what I wanted to tell you guys when we reached the Underworld," Percy said grimly. "That _he_ is the one behind this entire mess. I had dreams… I wanted to keep it a secret. And… and in truth, my mission was to sabotage the quest. With the shoes, lure the bolt down into the pit—Tartarus—and then watch the gods fight it out."

"But… the shoes…" Thalia was still soaking it in.

Annabeth's eyes widened with realization. "No… that can't be possible!"

"The thief and I were working together," he said. "I _am_ a traitor. At the time, I thought Hades was the one that killed my mother, and down there, I had the feeling too… but when I realized that he helped me wake up from that dream a long time ago, I knew he couldn't have. Then the thief said to take the helm in revenge. What I didn't realize was that it was premeditated. They would steal Zeus' master bolt and Hades' helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. The monsters weren't sent by either Zeus or Hades."

"So Hades wasn't the god that turned," Annabeth said. "Hades doesn't want a war among the Big Three. That means the god who gave us the backpack—"

"Is the one who's turned," Percy finished. "Is the one who caught the thief and then hid the weapons."

"And that god is—"

Percy stopped in his tracks, looking down the beach. "Right there."

There he was, waiting for them, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its head light turning the sand red.

"Hey, kid," Ares said, seeming genuinely pleased to see him. "You were supposed to die."

"Why do you have no common sense?" growled Percy. "I've known for a long time, but it still shocks me to see how easily a god can be goaded."

The god's eye twitched. "Doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus' mater bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at _him_. And Hades is still looking for this…"

From his pocket he took out a ski cap—the kind back robbers wear; was it called a balaclava?—and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon," Ares said with a devilish grin, "because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"A war between the Big Three will destroy Western civilization," Percy growled. "Without demigods, Titans will come and take the thrones from right underneath you gods. Are you insane?"

"Psh, like that would ever happen."

"Arrogance will be your downfall. You're being controlled by a Titan right now. You aren't thinking about this on your own. Remember? You caught the thief. The Titan convinced you by planting the idea of the war. The Titan is ordering you around."

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

Percy hesitated. "Who said anything about dreams?"

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hard-headed idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild board, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin five at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at Percy with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

Percy stepped back.

"You've only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes."

"Fight me yourself! Or are you scared?"

"In your adolescent dreams." But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes. "No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level."

Annabeth said, "Percy, run!"

The giant boar charged.

But before it could reach him, a huge lightning bolt flew from the sky, coming down like a hammer and smashing into the ground. The boar was fried before it even got within five feet. The people on the beach all looked this way. There were sudden screams. But when Percy turned, Thalia was standing there, her spear out, chest heaving as she breathed.

Ares looked even more surprised than him or Annabeth, which was a pretty great accomplishment. They stood there for a good ten seconds as Thalia shouted, "You're a coward! Percy's right. All you do is hide behind your pets. Percy doesn't run away. He's protected us this entire time, and it's time we fight alongside him."

"Thalia, don't!" Percy exclaimed, breaking out of his stupor.

"Let me fight with you and give him what he deserves," argued Thalia.

"I promised to protect you," he insisted. "I'm not breaking that promise. It's about time I repay you for Half-Blood Hill. For saving my life there."

"Percy—"

"This is my mess. I'm not letting anyone clean it up for me."

He turned back to Ares. "Fight me. Or are you going to hide behind another pet, like Thalia said?"

Ares' face was purple with rage. "I'll turn you two into… into—"

"A cockroach," Percy said. "Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?"

Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."

"If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. Let my friends go. If I win, the helm and the bolt are mind and _you_ have to go away."

Ares sneered.

He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

Percy showed him his sword.

"That's cool, dead boy," he said. "Class it is." The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "Don't do this. He's a god."

Thalia shook her head. "He's a coward."

Annabeth swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck." She took off her necklace, with her one year's worth of camp beads and a mysterious ring, and tied it around Percy's neck. "Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together."

Percy smiled tiredly at her. "Thanks."

"And take this," Thalia said. She handed him her bracelet. "You know what it does."

He almost felt like crying. "Thanks, you two, for everything."

"You all done saying goodbye?" Ares came toward him, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise. "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

_A smaller ego_, Percy thought, but he said nothing. He backed into the water up to his ankles. He thought back to what Annabeth had said at the Denver diner: _Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow down to wisdom sometimes._ He thought about the training he'd received at camp from Nathan and other instructors: _Fighting two-handed gives you more power, but fighting with a shield gives you better defence and versatility._

Percy activated Aegis, and power surged through his veins.

Ares cleaved downward at his head, but he wasn't there.

The water pushed Percy into the air and he catapulted over Ares, slashing as he came down. But Ares was just as quick. He twisted, and the strike that should've caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his sword hilt.

He grinned. "Not bad, not bad."

He slashed again, and Percy raised Aegis. Like his sword, the shield was indestructible. Ares' power nearly knocked Percy to the ground, but the shield never gave way. He thought about the rage and the happy moments, drawing power from them. He drew from his strength, and he drew from strategy. What would a child of Athena do?

Percy feinted for a strike to Ares' side then slashed downward, but Ares' seemed to understand the move. Ares parried the strike and went to stab Percy through the abdomen. Percy managed to dodge at the last moment, the edge of the blade barely touching him. The son of Poseidon whirled around for a hack, but Ares blocked that as well.

Then, Ares made a move the forced Percy to jump onto dry land. Percy tried to sidestep, to get back to the water, but Ares seemed to know what he wanted.

He began pressing so hard that Percy had to put all his concentration on not getting sliced into pieces. Percy kept backing away from the surf. He couldn't find any openings to attack. Ares' sword had a reach several feet longer than Anaklusmos.

_Get in close_, Percy thought.

He stepped inside with a thrust, but Ares was waiting for that.

Ares knocked the blade out of his hands and kicked him in the chest. He went airborne—twenty, maybe thirty feet. He would've broken his back if he hadn't crashed into the soft sand of a dune.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "Cops!"

Percy was seeing double. His chest felt like it had just been hit with a battering ram, but he managed to get to his feet. He couldn't look away from Ares and get distracted, but out of the corner of his eye he saw red lights flashing on the shoreline boulevard. Car doors were slamming.

"There, officer!" somebody yelled. "See?"

A gruff cop voice: "Looks like that kid on TV… what the heck…"

"That guy's armed," another cop said. "Call for backup."

Percy waited for Ares to raise his blade to slash down. As the god began his movement, Percy launched off his back foot, dodged the sword and used Aegis to smash the god in the face. Using Ares' face as another Launchpad, Percy pushed himself away and ran to his sword. He raised Aegis in time to stop another attack from Ares, who was looking murderous.

Percy stepped back toward the surf, forcing him to follow.

"Admit it, kid," Ares said, contorting his face where he was hit with the shield. "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you."

As soon as he hit the water, his senses worked overtime. Annabeth and Thalia were thirty feet to his left. He saw a second cop car pulling up, sirens wailing. Spectators, people who had been wandering the streets because of the earthquake, were staring to gather. Among the crowd, Percy thought he saw a few who were walking with the strange, trotting gait of disguised satyrs.

There were shimmering forms of spirits, too, as if the dead had risen from Hades to watch the battle. His mother was among them, as if cheering him on. There were also the flapping sounds of leathering wings circling somewhere above.

More sirens.

Percy stepped farther into the water, but Ares was fast. The tip of his blade ripped the demigod's sleeve and grazed his forearm.

A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns. Set them on the ground. Now!"

Percy didn't bother with the Mist.

Ares turned to glare at their spectators, which gave Percy time to plan a strike. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on them.

"This is a private matter!" Ares bellowed. "Be gone."

He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

Percy backed up farther. He felt the rhythm of the sea, the waves growing larger as the tide rolled in, and the idea popped into his head. _Little waves_, he thought. And the water behind him seemed to recede. He was holding back the tide by force of will, but tension was building, like carbonation behind a cork.

Ares came toward him, grinning confidently. Percy lowered his blade and loosened the shield on his arm. The pressure from the sea was almost enough to lifting him off his feet. Ares raised his sword. Then Percy released the tide and jumped, rocketing straight over Ares on a wave.

A six-foot wall of water smashed him full in the face, leaving him cursing and sputtering with a mouth full of seaweed. As Percy landed, he threw the shield at the back of Ares' head, which struck him hard, distracting him further. Then the son of Poseidon thrust Riptide into the back of the god's thigh.

The roar that followed made Hades' earthquake look like a minor event. The sea blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide. Ichor flowed from a gash in the back of his leg. The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, complete disbelief that he'd been wounded.

He limped toward Percy, muttering ancient Greek curses, beginning to glow with blinding power.

"Do it!" Percy threatened. "You'll face the wrath of all of the Big Three!"

As if proving his point, thunder rumbled off in the distance. The water tugged at Ares' legs, trying to hold him back.

Before Ares could lift his sword, something stopped him.

Light faded. Sound and colour drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the beach, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing, and making Percy feel like life was hopeless, fighting was useless.

_Don't_, hissed Kronos' voice. _You'll kill the daughter of Zeus._

The darkness lifted.

Ares looked stunned.

Police cars burned on the street. The crowd of spectators had fled. Annabeth and Thalia stood on the beach, in shock, watching the water flood back around Ares' feet, his ichor dissipating in the tide.

Ares lowered his sword.

"You have made an enemy, godling," he said. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware."

His body began to glow. Percy turned away as the god Ares revealed his true immortal form. The light died. Percy looked back. Ares was gone.

The tide rolled out to reveal Hades' bronze helm of darkness and Aegis.

He picked them up and turned Aegis back into a bracelet.

On his way to his friends, the three Furies dropped down in front of him. They looked more disappointed than anything, as if they were planning to turn him into a three-course meal.

"We saw the whole thing," the middle one hissed. "So… it truly was not you?"

Percy tossed her the helmet, which she caught in surprise.

"Return that to Lord Hades," he said. "Tell him the truth. I try not to break my promises."

She hesitated, then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. "Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again…"

She cackled, savouring the idea. Then she and her sisters rose on the wings and fluttered into the smoke-filled sky, disappearing.

Percy joined his two friends and tossed the punk chick her bracelet.

"Percy…" Thalia said. "That was so incredibly…"

"Terrifying," said Annabeth, who looked like she wanted to either hug him to death or punch him to death.

"Awesome!" Thalia corrected with a grin.

Annabeth decided to do both. She gave him a good, hard punch across the shoulder before embracing him.

"We have to get back to New York," Percy said. "ASAP. Things are getting out of hand."

"That's impossible," Annabeth said, "unless we—"

"Fly," Thalia agreed.

Annabeth gave her an incredulous look. "Fly, like, in an airplane where Zeus will strike Percy, and us, out of the sky while carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a _nuclear_ _bomb_?"

"If my dad wants to kill me, I'll accept it," Thalia said confidently. "It's my turn to protect us now."

"Thanks, Thalia," Percy said gratefully.

The daughter of Zeus smiled and grabbed his and Annabeth's arms. "Now, come on. We've got a flight to catch."

* * *

**So here's the plan. I release a chapter today, tomorrow and Thursday. You get a break for over a week, and voila! I'll be back! How does that sound? Cool? Now, to address the thing most of you will be thinking:**

**Yes, I understand that you're basically reading the Lightning Thief with Thalia instead of Grover, and it will be this way. However, this is how I planned it out. I'm trying to change stuff for the Titan's Curse, which will be coming out next, but as a warning, I have a feeling things will be kind of canon. I want a similar ending to the Titan's Curse part, but the path to getting there could be different. I have an idea as to how to do it, but that would negate a whole relationship that I wish to begin developing. So, I want you guys and girls to tell me what you think could happen. What would be interesting to see? It'll kickstart me into the next part of the story well. Anyway, thanks for everything!**

**Domo arigato,  
SharkAttack719**


	21. Decisions

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

**New option added for the poll. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

He loved the Mist.

According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake. This crazy kidnapper was the same man who had abducted Percy and two other adolescents in New York and brought them across the country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

Poor little Percy Jackson wasn't an international criminal after all.

He'd caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from his captor (and afterward, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus—"Why didn't I remember him before?"). The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch. After all, no kid could've done that.

A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo, and notified the police. Finally, brave Percy Jackson (he was beginning to like this kid) had stolen a gun from his captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson and his two friends were safely in police custody.

The reporters fed them the whole story. They just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted and played victimized kids or the cameras.

"All I want," Percy said, choking back his tears, "is to head home to my father in New York. I had… I had to run away from my stepfather. He was always smoking and drinking and playing poker inside the apartment. He gave me this scar when I was five." Percy showed the camera a scar that ran along his back, one of the hallmarks of Gabe's child abuse. "After my mom died… he threatened me. He took my mother's apartment. He told me to leave and die on the streets. I—I want to thank each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles for their wonderful support."

The police and reporters were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised money for three tickets on the next plane to New York.

Even with Thalia next to him, it was hard to force himself on board the flight.

Takeoff was a nightmare. Every spot of turbulence was scarier than a Greek monster. He didn't un-clench his hands from the armrests until they touched down safely at LaGuardia. To make matters worse, both Annabeth and Thalia were laughing at him.

The local press was waiting for the three of them outside security, but Annabeth managed to lure them away invisibly, saying, "They're over by the frozen yogurt! Come on!" before rejoining him and Thalia at baggage claim.

Percy tried to convince Thalia and Annabeth to head back to Half-Blood Hill and let Chiron know what had happened. But they protested, feeling like he would need help when they got to Olympus. Percy could only hope that the gods didn't kill his two friends.

Thirty minutes later, the three of them walked into the lobby of the Empire State Building.

They must've looked like homeless kids, with tattered clothes and scraped-up faces and arms. They also hadn't slept in at least twenty-four hours.

Percy went up to the guard at the front desk and said, "Six hundredth floor."

He was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front. Percy wasn't much into fantasy, but the book must've been good, because the guard took a while to look up. "No such floor, kiddo."

"Don't recognize me?"

The guard gave him a vacant smile. "Sorry?"

"Winter solstice," Percy prodded. "Big group of kids. Dangerous weapon inside this backpack that could destroy all five boroughs with one blast. Ring any bells?" He unzipped the backpack and showed it to the guard.

The guard looked inside at the metal cylinder, not getting what it was for a few seconds. Then his face went pale. "That isn't…"

"Yes, it is," Percy promised. "You want me to take it out and—?"

"No! No!" He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card, then handed it to the son of Poseidon. "Insert this in the security slot. Make sure no mortals are in the elevator with you."

This time, the elevator was much more spacious. Only three twelve-year-olds stood inside. When the doors closed, Percy slipped the key into the slot. The card disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600.

He pressed it and waited for the elevator to rocket up.

The doors opened, and Percy caught his breath. He'd been up here before, and it hadn't changed since he last saw it; but he couldn't help but be amazed at the amazing city in the clouds. It was just so magnificent and beautiful and… breathtaking.

They climbed the steps to the throne room. This time, there were only five Olympians in the room. There was the king of the gods himself, Zeus; his brother, Poseidon; Olympus' wisest and greatest advisor and tactician, Athena; the god of archery and healing, Apollo; and Luke's dad, Hermes. All of them looked stunned when the three demigods entered, though Athena looked considerably less so. Expected of the level-headed goddess who probably despised him.

"Mom." The word came out of Annabeth's mouth before she could stop herself.

Athena looked at Annabeth and the faintest trace of a smile touched her lips before she turned back to glaring at Percy.

All the gods were standing in their giant godly forms in radically different attire.

Athena was wearing a classic Greek dress, the silk grey to match her eyes. Zeus wore a dark blue pinstriped suit, as if the head of a business meeting. Apollo wore cargo shorts and a white T-shirt with a bow slung around his shoulders and a quiver strapped to his back. Hermes was in a jogger's outfit with winged shoes just like the ones Luke had cursed. And Poseidon was in his Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.

Thalia poked Percy in the back, urging him to step forward.

Apollo turned to Zeus and opened his mouth, "Zeus, like I was saying, Ares just appeared with a huge wound in the back of his leg."

"Send him to a hospital then," snapped the king of the gods. "Just get that whiny god of war out of here."

"Of… of course." Apollo looked like he was going to flash out, but he just backed up and flopped down onto his throne. He stared at the approaching demigods the same way Annabeth stared at stuff in a museum.

Hermes looked like he was about to say something, but decided against it and backed down. He headed for his own throne.

Athena, Zeus and Poseidon were already seated in their thrones. The Sea God looked miserable, as if he'd just been in another pointless argument.

Percy went up to the head throne and knelt. "Uncle."

"I should have blasted you out of the sky for your impudence," Zeus grumbled.

"And risk destroying your own master bolt as well as sacrificing your daughter?" Poseidon asked calmly. "Let us hear him out, brother. And tell Athena it would be wise not to interfere with this."

Athena stared at Poseidon harshly but said nothing. She knew he was right.

Zeus grumbled some more. "I shall listen," he decided. "Then I shall make up my mind whether or not to cast this boy down from Olympus."

"You can't!" exclaimed Thalia. "He saved me. I won't let that happen."

"Thalia," Zeus warned. "I have every right to—"

"You kill Percy, I will make sure Poseidon kills me," Thalia growled. "Then you have no child of the Big Three left and you can all die when he rises against you."

Zeus clenched his jaw and looked at Percy expectantly.

"Tell your story, sea spawn," said the king of the gods.

Percy told Zeus everything, careful not to include any hints of the Titans. He took out the metal cylinder, which began sparking in the Sky God's presence, and laid it at the god's feet.

There was a long silence, broken only by the crackle on the hearth fire.

Zeus opened his palm. The lightning bolt flew into it. As he closed his fist, the metallic points flared with electricity until he was holding what looked more like the classic thunderbolt, a twenty-foot javelin of arcing, hissing energy that made the hairs on Percy's scalp rise.

"I sense the boy tells the truth," Zeus muttered. "But that Ares would do such a thing… it is most unlike him."

"He is proud and impulsive," Poseidon said. "It runs in the family."

"He doesn't tell everything," Athena interjected. All eyes turned to her. She continued to stare at the son of Poseidon. "Speak up, demigod. Tell them what you truly saw. Your true allegiance. Everything."

For a second, Percy hesitated. He glanced back at Thalia and Annabeth. They nodded and stepped forward to his sides. The fact that he could feel the presences at his side gave him confidence. Percy began telling Zeus and Poseidon of his resentment towards the Olympians and continued through until he reached the one name that brought the hammer down: Kronos.

A chill ran up Percy's spine.

Apollo looked ready to vomit, but Zeus held up his hand angrily. "Stop there, son of Poseidon. We will speak of this no more. I must go personally to purify this thunderbolt in the waters of Lemnos, to remove the human taint from its metal." He rose and looked at Percy. His expression softened just a fraction of a degree. "You have done me a service, boy. Few heroes could have accomplished as much."

"I had help, sir," Percy said. He put his hand on his friends' shoulders. "Annabeth Chase and Thalia—"

"Don't say my last name," growled Thalia.

"To show you my thanks, I shall spare your life. I do not trust you, Perseus Jackson. I do not like what you mean to the future of Olympus. But for the sake of peace in the family, and my daughter, I shall let you live."

"Do not presume to fly again. Do not let me find you here when I return. Otherwise you shall taste this bolt. And it shall be your last sensation."

He turned to Thalia. "You did well, daughter."

Thunder shook the palace. With a blinding flash of lightning, Zeus was gone.

"Your uncle," Poseidon sighed, "has always had a flair for dramatic exits. I think he would've done well as the god of theater."

"Can we go now?" asked Apollo.

"Go ahead," Poseidon said with a wave of his hand. "Oh, and let Ares heal himself. He was being a coward. He deserved what he got."

Apollo nodded and flashed away with more blinding light. Hermes followed suit with a discreet nod.

Athena stood up and looked down on them. "The chariot was the _only_ thing I worked with Poseidon on. Despite our rivalry, I am proud of what I accomplished. Be the horse, son of Poseidon. Still, I do not trust you with my daughter. Do not provoke me, otherwise I shall bring you a death more horrendous than anything Hades or my father can give you."

She erupted in a column of flames and disappeared.

"Drama runs through the family, I presume," admitted Poseidon.

"Father, you have to convince Zeus that Kronos is coming back," Percy demanded. "This isn't something he can just put aside. Some Olympians already know what is happening. Things… they're changing."

Poseidon shook his head. "Lord Zeus has closed discussion on this matter. He will not allow talk of Kronos. Many fear what might happen if that is true, but even the wisest, in Athena, fears him too much to think of his rise or not. It is debatable whether the Titan lord could rise from the pit. Most Olympians do not trust you, Perseus. They wish to see you as the enemy simply because you are my son. After all, the council is mostly composed of Zeus' children."

"You can't just ignore the problem!"

A faint smile played on the god's lips. "Obedience does not come naturally to you, does it?"

"No. I—I suppose not."

"I must take some blame for that, I suppose. The sea does not like to be restrained." He rose to his full height and took up his trident. Then he shimmered and became the size of a regular man, standing directly in front of him. "You must go, child. But first, I'd like to give you a present."

Poseidon took out a familiar looking box from thin air. Percy's breath hitched when he noticed it was the box containing Medusa's head.

"I believe there is some unfinished business," said Poseidon. "After all, there is a reason why your mother kicked Smelly Gabe out. I believe you know what I mean."

Percy grabbed the box tentatively. He was shaking, though he wasn't sure if it was out of joy, anger or sadness.

Poseidon turned to Thalia. "You've grown, daughter of Zeus. You must also beware your powers. Perhaps my son says he will protect you and will take on full responsibility of the prophecy. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is wrong. But you will have to make a decision yourself in the future. One that will determine your fate and future. You must decide whether it is worth it or not." Then he turned to Annabeth. "Your mother is quite the annoying woman, Miss Chase. Take your mother's words into account. Percy will bring you where you want, but it is your job, as the chariot rider, to guide him. _However_, despite the responsibility you feel toward him for his sharp tongue and lack of awareness, only he can choose his path. There is a difference between guiding and choosing."

With a warm smile, he turned to Percy. "You are a true son of the Sea God." And he dissipated with a cool ocean breeze.

Percy didn't even mind that his own father insulted him. There was a sense of fulfillment in making his father proud.

As the three of them walked back through the city of the gods, conversations stopped. The muses paused their concert. People and satyrs and naiads all turned toward them, their faces filled with respect and gratitude, and as he passed, they knelt, as if the trio were heroes.

Fifteen minutes later, still in a trance, he was back on the streets of Manhattan.

"That went okay," Annabeth said in relief. "Better than I thought."

Percy looked up into the sky and laughed. Both girls stared at him like he was crazy. After half a minute, he stopped and put his arms around their shoulders. "I'm just glad you guys are okay. That this whole quest is over. This was a million times worse than the Sea of Monsters."

"That _we're_ okay?!" asked Annabeth incredulously. "All the threats were directed toward you, plus just a few hours ago you were fighting a god and almost died! You truly are crazy."

"You're the one that punched me," he accused.

"Because you're an idiot!"

"I survived, didn't I?"

"So annoying!"

"You hugged me, though. That means you can't think I'm _that_ annoying." He smirked, eliciting a rather harsh look from the daughter of Athena.

She raised a fist threateningly, and he hid behind Thalia, laughing.

"You two are like kids," Thalia said, shaking her head. She turned to Percy. "But you did look pretty badass with Aegis. If you went into battle with it, you would be undefeatable. I swear it to you. I might lend it to you again someday."

"I'd be honoured," he said.

If there was anything Percy wanted more than anything right now, it was to feel like a normal kid. Not some teenage delinquent on the verge of being blasted to bits by an all-powerful sky god.

"Now come on. We gotta tell Chiron about this little adventure."

* * *

**This chapter was rather short. I have nothing to say.**

**Thanks,  
SharkAttack**


	22. Together

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

**New option added for the poll. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Luckily for Annabeth, her cabinmates made a burial shroud for her during spring break.

Of course, since school was still in session, the Athena campers didn't get to see their sister return, but the shroud itself was so beautiful—grey silk with embroidered owls—that it didn't even matter. Percy jokingly told her that it was a shame not to bury her in it. Her response: a punch and a "Shut up!"

For the shroud of Thalia, daughter of Zeus, the Apollo cabin made a dramatic blue silk shroud with lightning bolts embroidered on it. To add to that, there was a Green Day album on top, which Thalia found great. But they had to ruin it by trying to write her name. It said: Thalia… whatever your last name is. Percy remembered when she told him not to say her last name, but the weird thing was that he didn't even know her last name.

When he asked, she zapped him so hard he was actually paralyzed for a minute.

Unfortunately, the Ares kids had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bed sheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.

It was fun to burn.

Though the camp was still small because of the lack of summer campers, Apollo's cabin led a sing-along and passed out s'mores. A bunch of the Aphrodite kids—both boys and girls—went over to Percy to ask him about the quest, which didn't please Annabeth or Thalia at all. But Luke went to talk to them, along with the Stoll Brothers, and kept them company.

The Hephaestus kids came over—the four of them—and also began asking him about the quest, interested after Percy told the Aphrodite campers that it would be cool to have a shield for once.

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw Beckendorf and Silena start a nervous conversation, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates. They looked furious but like their dad, they didn't have the guts, at first, to approach him. Clarisse looked pissed to the extent that Percy wanted to laugh in her face. But he wasn't that mean. He wasn't like Ares.

Even Mr. D's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen his spirits.

"Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be _no_ canoe races this Saturday…"

The only thing that bothered Percy was the fact that Luke wasn't approaching him. Annabeth steered clear of him, careful not to spark an explosion, but Thalia hung out with him, as if nothing had changed. Percy was sure Luke knew the reason. But for some reason, Luke didn't speak up. Even after the summer campers arrived, Luke hadn't left.

When the head counselor for Athena came back, he offered Annabeth the position, which was a pretty nice thing to do. Malcolm always said he wasn't the type for attention. Annabeth accepted, since she'd been on a successful quest and he hadn't. Everyone was elated that the new daughter of Athena was a head counselor now. Everyone except the Ares cabin and Luke.

It was on the Fourth of July when the tension finally snapped.

The whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus' kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions.

They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. Percy told Annabeth and Thalia that the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colours.

Thalia and Annabeth were spreading a picnic blanket when Luke came.

Both the girls looked at each other and then at Percy. Percy used eye contact to tell them to back down. When Luke came, Percy noticed something different about him. He had a scabbard with a sword in it. Luke had never done that before unless he was preparing to train in the arena. But Luke's expression told him that this was going to be a serious talk. Percy knew he could stab Luke and end it all, but his instincts told him to listen to his old friend and new rival.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.

"Percy, can I speak to you alone?" asked the son of Hermes.

Anyone could have wondered why Percy didn't just turn Luke in. Anyone could have wondered why he didn't just kill Luke and declare the matter closed. It wasn't just an instinct. There was something about Luke that made Percy hesitate. Despite all the arguments they had, and despite the fact that Percy hated what Luke has said, he knew Luke had a good intention. Even though he'd betrayed the Titans himself after they betrayed him, it didn't mean he was on the side of the gods. He still hated some of the Olympians: namely Dionysus, Ares, Athena and Zeus. Plus Hades was on his list. He hated them in a weird way, like in the way where he would still help them (because if he refused they'd kill him) but he wouldn't hesitate to refuse if he had the opportunity.

"Sure," said Percy.

He followed the son of Hermes into the forest. When they ran into a nymph, Luke seemed to think she was a monster. He pulled out his sword, and the dryad screamed. She disappeared in a pop of green smoke. That's when Percy saw the blade: the blade was two different types of metal—one edge bronze, the other steel.

Percy wanted to ask Luke if he was okay but he stayed silent, wanting Luke to start a conversation.

They were along the creek now in a nice shady spot. Luke, looking like he'd been through hundreds of nightmares, sat down on a big rock and sighed.

He slid his sword into its scabbard. "The name of the sword is Backbiter. One side is celestial bronze. The other is tempered steel. Works on mortals and immortals both."

"Why?"

"I'm going to need it," Luke said sadly. "Percy, listen—"

"You _need_ to harm mortals?" asked Percy incredulously.

Luke's expression darkened. "Have you _seen_ what mortals do to the world? It's better for everyone. The stupid satyrs and nature spirits have fewer mortals on their hands, and we get help from expendable troops that have ties to mortal weapons, a.k.a. mercenaries."

"That doesn't make it any better," Percy argued.

Luke clenched his jaw. "Look, Percy. I don't care if you betrayed the Titan lord. In the end, it's not about the Titans and the Olympians. It's about _us_. We get to be free. We're not looked at as tools. We're not threatened by deities so powerful we have no choice but to do what they say. This is for demigods. We're freeing them."

The son of Poseidon looked away.

"The gods should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods. They twist glory and force us to do their dirty work. Kronos showed me that my talents are being wasted. I sit here in this stupid camp waiting for time to pass like a loner without a goal in life—like someone just trying to get by each day. There's that saying or quotation or whatever: 'Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.' Don't fear what the gods will do to you. Do something about their oppressive rule."

"I know but…"

"Don't tell me you want to make your dad proud," sneered Luke.

Percy scowled. "There's nothing wrong with that. I feel sorry for him, Luke, because he knows I'm the son of the woman he loved and he has to watch me almost die almost every day."

"You think the gods care about you, Percy?" Luke snarled. "When I asked my father about my future that one time I went back to my crazy mother's house, he kept it secret from me. If he loved me, he would've told me!"

"Knowing your future isn't always a good thing, Luke."

"He could've warned me," Luke said. "But he didn't, and it's led to this."

"If you're trying to convince me of joining your side, you should've thought about that before you tried to kill me," Percy shouted. "You tried to put doubt in Annabeth's mind about me. You wanted them to abandon me so I couldn't help them."

"I never _wanted_ to kill you," the son of Hermes bellowed. "_He_ forced me to. _He_ promised torture for disobedience. I couldn't… I couldn't disobey the order. He knew you were going against him. I didn't want to hurt you because we became good friends and because I know you are a valuable ally."

"But like the Olympians, Kronos sees me as a dangerous threat," growled Percy. "He sent the Chimera and Echidna after me, didn't he? Was finding Medusa truly a coincidence?"

"I never wanted to kill you," Luke said desperately. "But… but I _have_ to."

Percy looked at him warily. "Luke, don't you dare take that sword out. If you plan to kill me, I'll take you with me."

Luke closed his eyes.

Percy tried to take that opening and swung Riptide at Luke. The son of Hermes swiftly dodged it and swung down with Backbiter. It caught what would have been his shield hand and tore right through flesh, muscle, tendons, blood vessels and bone. Percy screamed in pain as he dropped to the ground.

Then Luke snapped his fingers. A small fire burned a hole in the ground at Percy's feet. Out crawled something glistening black, about the size of his hand. A scorpion.

Percy started to go for his sword.

"I wouldn't," Luke cautioned. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds."

"Bastard!"

"Thalia told me the prophecy, Percy. I know what she was thinking. She was going to lose me to an 'evil plan hatched.' But that's not the case. You're the one that's going to die. Believe me when I say this, Percy. This is not out of desire. This is out of necessity. If I had everything my way, we'd be partners. Unfortunately, that is not the case. There another child of the Big Three that the Titan lord believes is easier to control. Goodbye, Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. And you won't be part of it."

He slashed his sword in an arc and disappeared in a ripple of darkness.

The scorpion lunged.

Percy swatted it away with his sword hand and grabbed his sword. The thing jumped at him and he cut it in half in midair.

But he had no time to think about it. He dropped Riptide and began running through the forest toward the beach, where everyone was. His palm had a huge red welt, oozing and smoking with yellow guck. His ears pounded. His vision went foggy.

There were explosions in the distance and they seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Percy's legs felt like lead. His forehead was burning. He wasn't running anymore. He was stumbling. The nymphs stirred from their trees.

"Beach," he croaked. "Please…"

Two of them took his arms, pulling him along. He didn't think he was going to make it. But he hit the beach, and there were sudden cries for help. He remembered screaming and shouting and general panic amongst the campers. There was a centaur trotting toward him. And then everything went black.

Percy woke with a drinking straw in his mouth. He was sipping something that tasted like liquid chocolate-chip cookies. Nectar.

He opened his eyes.

He was propped up in bed in the sickroom of the Big House, his right hand bandaged like a club. Argus stood guard in the corner. Annabeth sat next to him, holding his nectar glass and dabbing a washcloth on his forehead.

"Hey," he said weakly.

"You idiot," Annabeth said, which meant she was overjoyed to see him conscious. "You were green and turning grey when we found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing…"

"Now, now," Chiron's voice said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

He was sitting near the foot of the bed in human form, which was why Percy hadn't noticed him yet. His lower half was magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale.

"Where's Thalia?" Percy asked.

"Outside assuring the campers that you're fine," Chiron said. "She is quite worried about you, Percy. Quite a difference from before the quest, even if it has been over a month since it ended. How are you feeling?"

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."

Between sips of nectar, Percy told them the story.

The room was quiet for a long time.

"And you went the entire time without consulting me?" asked Chiron.

"I knew the entire time… everything…" Percy hesitated. "I just—I didn't think they'd betray me. True, I betrayed them, but I thought I did it first. Turns out that they wanted to get rid of me and replace me with Thalia."

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."

"Zeus declared the matter closed," he snapped. "It won't help."

"They will at least know the traitor," Chiron reasoned. "For now, you need to rest. I understand you are holding back right now. You want to go out and do something. However, _you_ must be careful. If he truly wants you dead, he will want you to become unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger so that he can lure you out by yourself. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

"Assuming I live that long."

Chiron put his hand on Percy's ankle. "You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. As for your hand… your, ah, non-dominant hand suffered quite a blow. I assume you didn't realize that during the heat of the battle."

"What are you talking a—?"

Percy looked at his non-dominant hand. Or, at least, the place where it used to be. Annabeth touched it gently, her eyes angry and sad as they lingered on the heavily bandaged stump.

"You were also bleeding heavily from the wound," said the centaur in the wheelchair. "Fortunately, the ocean could heal _that_ wound. To some extent. The damage to the nerves and bone and muscles was too great for the water to even heal. It had to be cut off. But do not fret. There is a way to re-grow it. Unfortunately, that would put you out of commission for over a year. It is very intense, pure magic from the goddess Hecate herself. Or a much simpler way is to get the Hephaestus cabin to build a mechanical hand with a quick surgery, though I'm not sure if you'd like a cliché solution to a problem such as this."

"My… my…"

"I'll stay with you the entire year if you want to regrow your hand," Annabeth said. "It won't be a problem."

"Mind you, regrowth of the hand will cause you to stay indoors for a great deal of time and will restrict the activities you can do," Chiron added as a warning. "Anyway, I'll be back as soon as I can. Argus will watch over you. I hope you make your decision by the time I'm back, my boy."

Chiron rolled himself out of the room. Percy heard the wheels of his chair clunk carefully down the front steps, two at a time.

The room settled into silence.

Percy could hear the sounds of camp activities in the distance. Was Thalia really that confident that he would be fine? He even had his own doubts whilst being hauled to the beach through the forest.

"Help me up," he told Annabeth. "I want to go outside."

She pursed her lips. "Percy, don't do anything stupid."

He slid his legs out of bed. Annabeth caught him before he could crumple to the floor. A wave of nausea rolled over him.

"I'm fine," he insisted. He didn't want to lie in bed like an invalid after what happened. Just because he'd lost a hand and nearly died didn't mean he would lie there and do nothing. He'd nearly died many times on the quest and managed to get through everything without giving up.

He managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Annabeth. Argus followed them outside, but he kept his distance.

By the time they reached the porch, Percy's face was beaded with sweat. His stomach had twisted into knots. But he had managed to make it all the way to the railing.

It was dusk. The campers were ending their daily activities.

Percy saw Thalia walking out from the arena. "Thalia!" he shouted, his voice hoarse. "Thalia!" He tried raising his hand to wave, but he couldn't find the energy. Pit scorpions were horrible. He was lucky to have survived.

But his shouts alone were enough to spur the daughter of Zeus. Thalia bolted up toward the Big House.

"Percy, for Zeus' sake, I would blast you with a bolt of electricity if you weren't in such bad shape," Thalia screamed. "You're a stupid idiot, you moron! What in Poseidon's name were you thinking?!"

Soon, a whole group of campers had gathered around the porch and bombarded him with questions.

"Hey!" Annabeth shouted. "Quiet down! Percy needs to rest. It's not good for him to be—"

"It's okay, Annabeth," Percy chuckled.

"Did Luke really do this?" asked a Stoll brother, Travis.

Percy looked out at Long Island Sound in the distance as it glittered in the last light of the sun. "Travis. Since you've got seniority of years with your brother, take the head counselor spot. For those that want the spot, that means you have to choose cabin activities, go to war counsels, lead your cabin to meals, and do cabin inspection. You also have to be responsible for your siblings."

"Then why the Stoll brothers?" a Hermes kid asked.

"I'm insulted," Travis muttered.

"Because, it'll teach them responsibility," Percy said. "Now, don't worry about me and continue on with your activities. Dinner is soon, I presume."

"Twenty minutes," Connor said.

"Good. Go!"

Everyone rushed off until only Annabeth, Thalia and Argus remained.

"Really?" said Annabeth. "The Stoll brothers."

He smirked. "It'll keep things interesting. We need that, especially if we're going against the Titans. You know what they say, 'Laughter is the best medicine.'"

"For what?"

"I dunno. I just thought it would sound cool."

Annabeth poked him to the side. Percy yelped as he lost his balance and hit the ground. Both girls burst into laughter as he groaned in pain. Annabeth gave him mercy when she helped him back up. She said, "Well, you're right about that. I do feel better now."

"My pleasure," he said wryly.

Then he began putting all his weight on her shoulders. "Ugh, I'm feeling light-headed, Annabeth. Help me."

She struggled under his weight. "You're… so… heavy…"

"That's mean."

"Stop putting pressure on my shoulders or I'll drop you," she threatened.

"You wouldn't be able to slip from my grasp without me collapsing on top of you," he said with a smirk. "And we don't want that, do we?"

She smirked back, which made him a little nervous. With a heave, she pushed up and slipped out from under him. He fell to the porch deck again, but this time it really hurt. He didn't move from his spot and planned to just lay there until someone wanted to pick him up. But apparently, Annabeth thought she'd seriously hurt him.

He could feel the panic in her fingers as they checked for a pulse. She rolled him onto his back and put her ear to his mouth. Her hair drooped over his nose and he smiled at the smell.

"Lemons," he whispered.

There was a sudden sharp sting sprouting from his stomach, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Annabeth blushing wildly with her hand in a fist. He groaned some more. "How much pain do you have to cause me? Am I not in enough pain?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Percy heard Chiron's voice say, "What in Zeus' name happened here?"

"I decided," groaned the son of Poseidon. "Mechanical arm. Annabeth was just disappointed she won't get to stay with me the entire year by my side as I heal from re-growing my arm. And also—_ugh_! Stop punching me!"

"Annabeth," Chiron said in an amused tone. "Please stop injuring Percy more than he needs to be."

"Don't play funny, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth hissed. "And we both know you're the one who likes me being close to you. And…" She lowered her voice so only he could hear. "I guess I'll keep using… the, uh, lemon scented… ugh, I hate you."

"Annabeth, if you would kindly roll Percy back into the sickroom?"

"Wait, roll? Ahh!"

"Let me help," Thalia chimed in.

Percy felt two pairs of hands roughly guide him into the sickroom. As he complained, Annabeth took a spoon of ambrosia and stuffed it into his mouth. He shut up.

Maybe Luke was out there. Maybe Kronos was rising. But Percy was injured. And if the best medicine was laughter, then he needed to cherish these moments the most. The happy, fun, albeit painful, moments.

He smiled up at Annabeth, and she smiled back at him.

_Plan all you want, Luke_, Percy thought. _Just don't underestimate the power of Camp Half-Blood. Because united, we are stronger than an entire army of monsters. United, we can overcome anything._

* * *

**Aaaaaand that's a wrap for now!**

**I want to address something: if you think this is the end of the evil, bad, destructive Percy you thought you were going to read about, than you are truly giving up on this story. I've already spoiled a bit of the future, so you guys better stay and wait if you want that Percy. But how he switches back will be a mystery. I'll leave that to your guys' and girls' imaginations for now.**

**See ya guys in a couple weeks!**

**-sharkattack**


	23. Jump

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.**

**IDEA #3 REMOVED FROM THE POLL! THOSE WHO VOTED IDEA #3 SHOULD RE-VOTE!**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

It took a year and a half for something interesting to happen.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. Just six months ago, Percy'd had a dream… or was it a vision (Whatever, same thing!). Anyway, he had a dream-vision about Luke and Kronos wanting to go for the Golden Fleece. Naturally, he wasn't thinking straight so he set off to go and steal it before they could take it themselves. Despite the fact that he had no use for the Fleece, he knew it would be in better hands with Chiron than it would have been in Luke's.

"You want the long story or the short story?" Percy asked Thalia.

"Can you do something in between?" she suggested.

He shrugged. "Sure."

It started on a normal June day. Percy was playing with his new mechanical arm that was fused with so much magic it felt and looked like a normal human hand… unless he touched it with his another part of his body. Then it was as cold as a robot hand. It had taken him a while to get used to it, and he still wasn't used to it. Why did he choose to have a robot hand? It was so cliché. That's beside the point. The point was that Beckendorf and his siblings made the hand so wonderfully crafted that it still felt like there was blood rushing through it. When he curled the metal fingers, he felt like flesh, muscle and bone were moving. But that illusion disappeared as soon as he rested his hand on another part of his body.

"You already said that," noted Thalia.

"Whatever!"

It was then that Annabeth came up to him, dirty and sweaty from training and asked him how he was doing. He replied with a fine. They talked for a little while, mostly about the arm. But toward the end of the conversation, it sort of changed to talking about Thalia.

Thalia had gone back to L.A. after summer camp was over to find her mother. Percy didn't know why, and he was too scared to ask. Especially now that he had a mechanical arm, he was afraid—despite Beckendorf telling him countless times that it had the same resistance as a human hand and was resistant to everything a human hand was resistant to and more—that she would short circuit it. Of course, the conversation about Thalia always led to talk about Luke.

Percy wasn't sure why Annabeth always linked those two together. There was a tone in her voice he couldn't exactly understand when she spoke about the son of Hermes and the daughter of Zeus. It was almost as if she believed Thalia really liked Luke and was a little jealous.

To Percy, talking about Luke was like thinking about flying on a plane. It made him nervous and kind of scared. The way Luke looked before he left that Independence Day haunted him in his memories. It was a pained look and a look of regret. Yet it was also one of redemption… a look that made Percy realize he wasn't evil or malicious. He just wanted what he thought was best.

Talking about Luke made him think of so many bad memories, but some good ones. Not many saw his good side—the natural one, not the fake one. It almost seemed like that side of him was concealed and hidden from everyone. Percy remembered the cake prank. It was childish but it was also kind of funny.

It made him forget about his mechanical arm.

That night, Percy had trouble falling asleep. But when he did, he had a vision of sorts. He was in a dark cave listening to Luke and the Titan lord planning to go after the Golden Fleece. They were arguing a bit, but Luke seemed to agree to go after the Fleece. He knew he had to do something. So when he woke, he decided to go after the Fleece himself again after telling Chiron.

Naturally, Annabeth caught him in the act and tried to convince him not to go, but he told her about the dream and managed to drag her along. They decided to leave that night.

With their luck, Clarisse caught _them_ in the act at night, but the harpies came and Clarisse had no choice but to agree. They fled camp on hippocampi and made it to Montauk where they camped out for a little while. Clarisse and Annabeth argued loudly the entire night, which lasted for so long it prompted the two to force Percy to take a side. Annabeth argued that they were better friends, and Clarisse argued that they knew each other for longer.

In the end, Percy decided that whoever could find a way to head south quickly was who he'd side with. Clarisse won, which in turn caused a rift between him and Annabeth. Clarisse had somehow managed to receive a boat in return for a prayer to her dad. Ares must've been distracted that day because somehow the god helped him rather than hindered him. The boat was called the _C.S.S. Birmingham_, and it was a Confederate ironclad warship with an undead crew.

The three of them sailed ("Not actually sailed, Thalia. It's called being lazy with words.") to the entrance of the Sea of Monsters and, like last time, Percy nearly died. The ironclad exploded as they fled on rafts. Percy got picked up by Scylla, again, and like last time he hit her in the eye. Annabeth managed to fish him out of the sea, but they lost Clarisse.

The two of them spent most of the time in silence, but Annabeth eventually apologized for being rash. She blamed her hubris—her fatal flaw: excessive pride.

After a day of sailing in the makeshift sailboat raft thingy, they came across Aeaea. Circe's island had been burned down. It looked like it had been deserted for two years. There was no sign of the Learjet, though somehow Percy immediately knew the pirates had crashed it in the ocean and drowned. Percy explained to Annabeth how he'd been here before, let the pirates loose, and left saving his own behind. He never thought the pirates would destroy the resort like this. They didn't stay for long.

Percy found a way to drive one of the pleasure yachts and had Annabeth help him take the fuel from the other yachts. They went yachting back into the Sea of Monsters, which was very out of place.

Annabeth and Percy spent more time alone, just talking about his mechanical arm and pointless things like that. It was rather boring. Then, Percy remembered the land of the Sirens. He told her about how he listened to their song and managed to survive, though he didn't tell her what _he'd_ seen in his vision.

"What did you see?" Thalia asked.

"I'm not telling you!"

"Party pooper."

"Anyway…"

Annabeth wanted to listen, so Percy granted her that wish. Knowing how dangerous it would be for someone who wasn't the child of Poseidon, he did what Odysseus' crew did: disarmed her and tied her to the mast and plugged his own ears with candle wax. He made to sure keep an eye on her at all times, but the way she screamed at him made his heart wrench. It was horrible to watch her struggle and scream.

They eventually passed the Sirens, and Percy took it upon himself to make sure Annabeth was okay. He didn't feel like touching her, just in case he would see what she saw, but he spoke to try and comfort her. He told her to tell him when she couldn't hear them anymore. After she told him that it was all clear, he took out the wax. She told him about the temptation she felt, and for the first time, she understood what Luke was thinking.

Percy knew it was dangerous. If a demigod as strong as Annabeth was tempted to tear Olympus down and rebuild it anew, there was no telling how many other half-bloods might join him.

Of course, Percy knew that he was already on that side. He knew that he wanted a world where none of this even existed, where his dad was mortal or just not there… his mom was alive… there were no gods, no titans, nothing of the sort. In fact, he figured he was one of the only ones that wondered what it would be like if none of the magical stuff truly existed.

When they got to the Cyclops' island, they found Clarisse in a wedding dress, which was enough to make him crack up.

Annabeth used her Yankees cap to distract Polyphemus while Percy rescued Clarisse. They managed to make it across the bridge and grab the Fleece. The sheep started coming after them, as well as Polyphemus, but they ran back across the bridge, and Percy cut the ropes, causing the Cyclops to fall in the chasm.

Percy saw the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ on the back side of the island and got an insane idea. He found the drop off that would lead straight into open water ("You really are insane, Percy."). He jumped with the Fleece, telling the other two to wait until he was in the water before they jumped. They called him insane but had no other choice. He cushioned their fall by catching them with the water when they were around fifty feet in the air. As they fell, the water eased them down until they plopped into the ocean with the amount of velocity it of jumping off a 5 meter diving board.

"In other words," Annabeth told Thalia, "it still hurt."

They swam for safety, but a giant rock destroyed the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ before they could get to it. Percy called for Rainbow, his hippocampus, and a couple friends and they rode out of the Sea of Monsters to safety.

When they woke up, Percy sent an Iris-message to Chiron saying they'd appreciate a pickup. Chiron said he'd be there with a couple relatives in about ten minutes.

Unfortunately, that was enough time for Luke to catch them and bring them aboard his massive cruise ship, the Princess Andromeda. He tried to take the Fleece by force, but Clarisse and Annabeth stood in front of Percy, protecting him.

Luke and Annabeth argued, the former telling the latter that he shouldn't need to rely on friends fighting his battles. This provoked Percy to fight Luke for the Fleece. They fought on the deck with Percy pressing Luke back. Eventually, Percy cut Luke's legs and had the son of Hermes at his mercy. Clarisse screamed at him to finish the traitor off, but Luke's bodyguards, two bear-men named Agrius and Oreius, knocked him away. Oreius prepared to eat Percy after picking him back up; however, he was saved in the nick of time by a boxing-glove arrow.

"A boxing-glove arrow?" asked Thalia.

"It was an arrow with a boxing glove attached to the front," Percy said. "It saved my life."

Centaurs called Party Ponies arrived on the scene to rescue the three demigods led by none other than Chiron. They got back to camp safely, and Percy decided that they should hang it on Grover's tree. Chiron posted an ad for protection for the Fleece in some Olympus newspaper and they got a dragon named Peleus.

It was just a couple weeks after that when Thalia arrived back at camp looking miserable.

"Not like you looked any better," Thalia huffed.

"That's the story in my eyes," Percy shrugged. "Also… uh, never mind. Anyway, what do you think Hedge sent the distress call out for?"

Remember how it took a year and a half for something interesting to happen? This was it. Coach Hedge, the satyr that had brought him to camp, had been on scouting missions to find demigods up in New England. He sent a distress call to camp requesting for powerful backup, and from what Percy could remember about Hedge, the situation must've been pretty bad for him to call for backup.

Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."

Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking a big frosty forest on one side and the grey churning ocean on the other.

They stopped at the front. Argus stared at Annabeth, as if expecting her to say something.

She shook her head. "No, Argus. Head back to camp. You've done enough. Camp needs your security."

Argus nodded, which was weird because the eyes on his neck stretched and crinkled as he did.

The three of them shuffled out of the car. The wind blew straight through Percy's coat like ice daggers.

He looked at Thalia and Annabeth. Thalia looked like she was made to stand this freezing weather. Annabeth was shivering a little, though he was sure it wasn't as bad as him. There _had_ been something else that he wanted to tell them… something he found out when Chiron sent Thalia and Annabeth to a boarding school in Brooklyn. But it wasn't important.

The oak doors groaned open, and the three of them stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.

The entire entry hall looked like a giant shrine to Ares. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff.

_Strike_, hissed Kronos' voice.

Percy winced and looked at the ground. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like the Titan lord was still speaking to him, and especially when he was around Thalia. It was almost as if Kronos was urging him to kill her. He couldn't do that.

After the incident with Luke in Miami, he couldn't stop thinking about how he hadn't killed Luke. He'd hesitated. The point of his sword was an inch away from piercing Luke's skin. He couldn't kill him and end all of this. He'd hesitated for too long. Why was that? He was supposed to be changed. He was supposed to be on the gods' side.

Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"

The door slammed shut behind them.

"Oo-kay," Percy muttered. "Guess we're staying."

Music echoed from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music.

They stashed their overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. They hadn't gone very far when he heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept them.

They both had short grey hair and black-military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy moustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of backward to him. They both walked stiffly, like robots. His mechanical fingers twitched.

"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"I sent them outside," a gruff voice said from behind the teachers.

The two slowly parted revealing Coach Hedge looking like he was having the worst night of his life. He struggled in his military-style uniform.

"You know them, Gleeson?" the man asked in a tense tone. He had a hawkish face and his eyes were two different colours—one brown, one blue.

Suspicious, thought Percy.

"Yes, _Dr. Thorn_," Hedge said. His tone made it clear he didn't like Dr. Thorn. "Punishment. Push-ups in the snow."

"Mr. Hedge—" the woman began.

"_Coach_ Hedge, Mrs. Gottschalk," corrected the short satyr.

"—I would like to remind you," she continued, "that your unorthodox punishments from public schools is not permitted here at Westover. And moreover, I've never seen these students before."

"They're new," said Hedge. "Not very social these cupcakes. Like to hide in the shadows."

"_Do not_ let them out of the gymnasium again," Mrs. Gottschalk snarled. "Go!"

Hedge ushered them to the gym.

"That was close," Hedge muttered. "You got my message?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" asked Percy. "There hasn't really been much need for emergencies lately."

"I found two."

"Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"

Hedge nodded. Finding one half-blood was rare enough.

This year, Chiron had put the satyrs on emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade through high school for possible recruits. These were desperate times. They were losing campers. They needed all the new fighters they could find. The problem was, there just weren't that many demigods out there.

And also… there were demigods who were traitors, just like him.

"A brother and a sister," Coach Hedge said. "They're eleven and thirteen. I don't know their parentage, but they're strong. Stronger than the average demigod. We're running out of time, though. I need help."

"Monsters?"

"One." Hedge looked nervous, which was unusual. "A very, very powerful monster. I'd brain him, but I've got a bad feeling about what might happen if I try. Either way, with the three of you here, I can brain him while you run away with the kids. Still, I'm sure he knows. This is the last day of term. He won't let them leave campus without truly finding out. It may be our last chance."

The satyr looked at Thalia. "You've got the most experience with monsters."

"Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"

Hedge nodded.

"Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"

"You just met him," he said darkly. "The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."

* * *

"Bianca and Nico di Angelo."

The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously her little brother. They both had the same dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards.

His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.

Percy felt like he recognized them from somewhere, but he couldn't pick out the memory. He didn't recognize the names either. Maybe they just looked like people he knew.

Annabeth said, "Do they… I mean, have you told them?"

Hedge shook his head. "You know how it is. Thalia and Percy both reek."

Percy wanted to ask who reeked more, but he knew it would just be inappropriate. Considering the more powerful you became, the more you smelled like a monster's lunch, he wanted to know if he was more powerful than Thalia or not. That was also something that had been bothering him lately.

Just then, the vice principal, Dr. Thorn slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the Di Angelo siblings. He nodded coldly in their direction. His blue eye seemed to glow.

"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."

"How?"

"We're three powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."

"Dancing?" Percy grimaced. He wasn't exactly the best dancer…

"I'll be around," Hedge said. "Or… uh, stopping Mrs. Gottschalk from realizing you three aren't students." He disappeared into the crowd looking ready to beat someone up.

The three of them stood there in the middle of the gym awkwardly looking at one another.

"I'll… I'll head over there." Thalia gestured to her left. "Keep an eye out." She, too, disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm worried about her," Annabeth murmured.

"Huh?" Percy asked.

Annabeth took off her ski cap. Her long blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, for some reason. She used to wear no jewellery except her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings shaped like owls—the symbol of her mother, Athena. Her eyes were like the colour of the ocean outside—a churning sea grey that was a little intimidating and also very pretty. Her lips were set in a frown.

"Haven't you noticed? She's been a little uneasy ever since she got back from L.A. I mean, she's almost the same as she was before but… there's just something about her that doesn't seem like she's her anymore. Don't you notice it?"

"Well, not really. Why? What's wrong?"

"I wonder… I wonder if she ran into Luke on her way back."

"That can't be true," Percy argued. "Luke's on the _Princess Andromeda_. He's cruising up and down the east coast recruiting monsters and half-bloods to join Kronos' cause. There's no way that he could have possibly—"

"Then how do you explain her sudden reluctance? One moment she's fine, and then all of a sudden she just gets all awkward and shy."

He looked down. "I don't know."

Annabeth sighed. "Whatever. Let's just carry on with the mission. Make sure to keep an eye on the siblings."

"I know. I know."

He looked around. Girls moved around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly coloured pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face.

They passed by, took a good look at him, then at Annabeth, before wandering off looking for their next victim.

"That was close," Percy sighed in relief. "I don't want to look like a doll when we go and fight Dr. Thorn."

"But you wouldn't mind them kissing you, would you?" Annabeth said with a smirk.

He blushed. "That's different."

She laughed.

"Anyway… um, how's the new school? Any good designs lately?"

Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she talked about architecture. "Oh my gods, Percy. At my new school, I get to take 3D design as an elective, and there's this cool computer program—"

She went on to explain how she'd designed this huge monument that she wanted to build at Ground Zero in Manhattan. She talked about structural supports and facades and stuff, and he tried to listen. But like always, it got hard once she passed the thirty second mark.

Architecture could get her mind off almost anything. Almost.

"So… how's your dad?" he asked.

Maybe nothing really interesting happened in the past year and a half, but things definitely _did_ happen. Last month, Annabeth's dad contacted her and told her that he was moving to San Francisco. Percy didn't really care, but Annabeth seemed to be really troubled by it.

The only home Percy had was Camp Half-Blood. His mother's old apartment in Manhattan wasn't good enough, even though its owner mysteriously disappeared. Percy even had money to pay for stuff after he became the next "big sculpture artist." But he just gave the money to Chiron. Still, he never really felt comfortable enough to move back out into the mortal world.

Annabeth always said she was never accepted at her home, but Annabeth didn't really seem like the kind of person to stay at camp year-long. The only thing Percy wondered was if her family was really as bad as she said it was.

"Oh… well, I don't know. I still haven't really decided."

"Right."

"Percy, I… I probably should tell you something."

Suddenly, Coach Hedge burst through the crowd. "They're gone!"

"What?"

Annabeth pointed to the bleachers. The two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, were no longer there. The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.

"We have to get Thalia!" Annabeth looked around frantically.

"She's not in here," Hedge said. "This is not good." He sniffed the air. "I can still smell them. They were here not long ago."

"Where's the most secluded area on campus?" Percy asked. "It doesn't have to be in the school."

Coach Hedge thought about it. "Well, there're woods behind the school. There's a point at the edge of the cliff where the woods clear up. You don't think…"

"Well, if Thorn is the vice principal, he can't possibly be a stupid monster," Percy reasoned. "He would have to lure them out to a spot that's secluded so that no one knows or finds out. It makes the most sense."

"That's smart," Annabeth agreed. "But that means we're betting Thalia's out there."

"It'd be better if she was safe. But yeah, basically. Come on!"

* * *

"They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and—"

"Now now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well… there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."

"The Great what?" Thalia asked.

Percy held Hedge back as the old satyr grabbed his baseball bat and growled, ready to attack. Annabeth was crouched to his right. They tried to hide in the shadows so that the monster couldn't see them. He turned to her and asked, "So what's the plan?"

"The Stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn raised his arms like some kind of crazed fanatic. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"

"On my signal, charge out," Annabeth whispered back to him. Her eyes held grim determination. She pulled her Yankees cap out and put it on. Her body disappeared into thin air, and Percy forced himself to keep watching the scene. He pulled out Anaklusmos and prepared to uncap it.

A few seconds later, something invisible slammed into the di Angelo siblings and Thalia. Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over their heads. That was the signal.

Hedge burst out with his baseball bat screaming, "Die, cupcake!"

Percy could hear the sound of a helicopter in the distance, but he tried not to focus on that.

Dr. Thorn swatted Coach Hedge to the side. His hand changed into an orange paw with enormous claws. Percy charged forward and feinted. He rolled as Dr. Thorn swiped his paw at him and slashed at Dr. Thorn's side. He rolled again when Thorn tried to swipe at him again.

He tried to move forward when giant spikes came flying at him. At the last moment, he swung his sword in an arc, deflecting all but one, which grazed his shoulder. Percy glanced behind Dr. Thorn and saw a tail—a leathery, scorpion-like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and a huge bolt of lightning flew down and slammed into the monster. Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.

"A manticore!" Annabeth said. Her magical New York Yankees cap had come off.

"Who_ are_ you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is _that_?"

"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

The manticore turned to the four of them.

"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. Thalia activated Aegis, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield, the face of Medusa carved into its front. The spikes deflected off the shield, but hit with enough impact to knock Thalia back.

Thalia growled as she took out her spear and began attacking the beast at her full force. Thalia was strong—there was no doubt about it—but even she couldn't beat the monster. She managed to stab him through his right leg, but as soon as she pulled the spear out, the manticore's tail whipped around and knocked her to the side.

Her spear flew off into the snow. Her shield landed at his feet.

Coach Hedge bought him just enough time by trying to attack Dr. Thorn. Of course, Coach Hedge failed and was knocked down to the snow, but it provided the perfect distraction. Percy charged with Aegis in his hand. He remembered the battle with the Chimera when he cut the tail off the beast. If he could do that with Thorn…

He charged forward, ready to attack. He almost got him.

It was the helicopter that saved the manticore.

The searchlights blinded Percy, and the manticore swatted him away as well. His sword flew off the cliff, but Aegis stayed snug on his arm. He and Thalia stood to protect the others, but only armed with one shield and one spear between the two of them, they had no chance.

Percy glanced at the helicopter. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the side that looked like laser-guided rockets. So this was what Luke meant by mercenaries. Actually kind of smart.

They were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. They had no chance.

Then he heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind, and the chopping of the helicopter blades.

"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"

His sentence was cut short when something flew at him like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.

He staggered backward, wailing in agony. "Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and cut them in two. No… he wasn't hallucinating. That was exactly what happened.

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. Percy swiped at him, but he dodged and whipped his tail around. Percy slashed at the tail, cutting it straight in half. With a growl, Dr. Thorn swiped at him, knocking him to the edge of the cliff. He slipped off and was caught at the last moment by Bianca and Annabeth. Bianca looked surprised that she caught him.

"Drop him!" yelled Thorn when Annabeth tried pulling him back up.

"You will not!"

The archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like Percy. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

Thalia stared at them with a look he'd never seen on her before: true admiration. "The Hunters," she repeated.

One of the old archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful, with coppery coloured skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess.

"Permission to kill, my lady?"

She didn't take her eyes off the manticore, so it wasn't clear who she was talking to.

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

"Not so," another girl said, and Percy realized it was the one that spoke earlier, just before they came out from the woods. She looked maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail, and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so beautiful it made him catch his breath, but her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoë, permission granted."

The monster growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at Percy, knowing he was on the verge of falling off. "No!" Annabeth yelled, and she let go of his arm. Thalia grabbed Bianca's leg to prevent her from falling from the sudden change in weight.

"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane.

The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth held on for dear life.

"Fire!" Zoë ordered.

"No!" Percy screamed.

But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered back, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.

There was a _snap-snap-snap_ from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire.

Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with the auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.

"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."

She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust—no, not dust. The black metal dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.

Bianca managed to pull him up with the help of Thalia and Nico. He was still stunned as he stared down into the darkness, sure that the manticore and Annabeth were still there.

The Hunters advanced on them.

The one called Zoë stopped short when she saw Thalia. "So you're here, Thalia Grace."

"Zoë Nightshade." Thalia's voice was a mixture of distaste and grudging respect. "Perfect timing, as usual."

"Annabeth," Percy said, glancing back down.

The auburn-haired girl turned toward him. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."

He looked at her for a moment and then bowed. "Artemis."

"_Lady_ Artemis," Thalia corrected with a glare.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Thalia nodded, as if satisfied. But then she noticed the look on his face and knit her eyebrows. "Percy...?"

He smiled, and before anyone could do anything, he said, "I don't believe Annabeth is gone. Not yet." And then he jumped off the cliff with the cries of Thalia echoing behind him.

* * *

**I'm back from vacation, but my schedule is becoming jam packed. September approaches meaning less time for FanFiction. Also, have things to do in the next couple of weeks, so updates will definitely slow down. Probably to the rate of an average FanFiction author. One to three weeks. Not sure. I know you guys want me to change up the plot, and although this is probably expected, I wanted to start the Titan's Curse with this.**

**By the way, if you voted for Idea #3 on the poll, I removed that answer. If you can re-vote, trying re-voting! If not, then I'll start the poll up again! Thanks!**

**SharkAttack**


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